One without love, no more
by Sycocat
Summary: Ritsuka has to live with Soubi & feelings develope over time as many hardships befall him. MANY LOVE THIS.*FINALLY FINISHED*
1. Fever

To start, this is my first Loveless fic. I have no idea how long this will turn out to be, but please be patient with me.

This chapter has been revised a bit.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless, but I sure as hell wish I did.

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**One without love, no more**

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**Chapter 1**

_Loveless..._

Why did that name sound so odd to him? He could tell that he would never be truly happy, that meant that he was destined to be without love as well...

_Soubi..._

That name crossed his mind.

Maybe with Soubi, he could be happy, he could return those feelings of love that Soubi so willingly displayed to him...

Ritsuka sat in class while Shinome-sensei read a passage from a book aloud. His head rested on his desk, he had a headache and on top of that, he felt terribly hot. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness came over him, he attempted to stand, only to fall to the floor.

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Ritsuka's eyes fluttered open, the world was spinning he was still dizzy. There was someone next to him, a woman. "Ritsuka-kun, do you know where you are?" She asked.

He shook his head, which wasn't a good idea because of the current state he was in.

"This is the infirmary, you fainted in class and you were brought here. You have fever as well."

He hadn't fainted, that he knew.

"Is there anyone I can call to come and get you? Your mother-"

"No." he said immediately, then realized the surprised look on the nurse's face. "I-I mean, she's not home and I don't know her work number." He lied. "Well then, is there anyone else, another adult?"

An adult, he only knew one other than his parents and teachers. That tall blond with bottomless eyes...But would he pick up? He had promised that he'd always pick up, but he almost never did.

"Soubi..." He said the fighter's name without realizing it.

"Soubi?" The nurse questioned. "Y-yes Agatsuma Soubi he's...my brother's old friend, I'm sure he'd come and get me." Ritsuka wasn't sure, but he did _hope_.

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_Just another dab of cerulean..._

"Ah, finished." Soubi said aloud to himself. He was in his and Kio's apartment, painting, as usual. Also as usual, his subject was a butterfly and a blue one at that.

He heard a ringing and picked up his cell phone off of the floor and looked at the screen.

_Ritsuka? How odd, he never calls me during school..._

"Moshi moshi."

"_Is this Agatsuma Soubi?" _A woman's voice asked.Thoughts quickly filled his mind...

_Is Ritsuka hurt? Did someone from the Seven Moons attack him?..._

As these thoughts progressed, they only got worse...

_Perhaps he's...-no..._

All of this went on in his head within the span of only a few seconds, then he finally spoke. "Yes." He replied, his voice calm as ever.

"_I'm the nurse at Ritsuka's school, he fainted in class. He said that you might be able to pick him up."_

"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can." Soubi said hanging up.

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least none of his worries were true...he hoped.

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Ritsuka hadn't even realized that he'd fallen asleep, he slowly opened his eyes and saw Soubi sitting in a chair by his bedside.

"Hey." Soubi greeted as he stood. Ritsuka merely looked at him. The flaxen-blond smiled, "Come, I'll take you home."

Despite his weak body and grogginess, Ritsuka stood, his legs a bit wobbly at first and followed Soubi out of the school.

As they walked, neither said a word. The air was filled with a sort of tension, so Soubi thought he'd attempt to brighten Ritsuka's spirits.

"So, you fainted?" He said, a smirk playing on his lips. "No! I didn't faint..." Ritsuka replied, looking away from the older man.

"Then what happened?" He questioned, grabbing Ritsuka's arm as he began to walk away. "I don't know. I was dizzy and then I..."

"Collapsed? I see..." Soubi said, looking down at the thin arm that he was holding. The sleeve was pushed up and he could see scars on his wrist, some faint, but some looked recent.

_Come to think of it, he always wears long-sleeved shirts..._

"Where did you get those scars on your wrist?" The man asked, his voice suddenly serious. Ritsuka's breath caught in his throat for a moment. He decided that it was best not to answer.

Soubi brought a hand to his pale face and turned it toward him. He noticed bandages on the boy's forehead, cheek and neck.

Before he could say another word, Ritsuka quickly pulled back, turned around and began to walk away at a fast pace.

_I could run, but he'd just catch up with me..._

"I love you Ritsuka. Why won't you answer me?"

"Why don't you ever answer _my_ questions?" Ritsuka retorted. Soubi stood still for a moment, stunned and then began to follow Ritsuka home in silence.

_I want to know what has, or is happening to you, Ritsuka, why won't you tell me?..._

Where could he have gotten such marks, was someone hurting him?

Ritsuka walked as quickly as he could considering his state.

_Soubi wouldn't understand. Mom...is complicated, she's not sane and she wants her old Ritsuka back, but I can't bring him back. I wish I could though, that way _I _could disappear..._

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I hope you liked it, please review!


	2. Pain

Thanks a bunch to everyone who's already reviewed.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless, why? No one knows.

Anyway, here's chapter two. (The slightly revised version.)

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**Chapter 2**

They finally arrived at Ritsuka's house. The dark-haired boy stopped Soubi a little ways away from the front door and faced him.

"Soubi, you can't come in, my mom's home and she'd freak out if she saw me with you." Ritsuka stated, knowing that Soubi just might listen due to the circumstances. "No matter what you hear, you have to promise me that you won't come in."

"Is that an order?" Soubi asked, understanding and realizing the possible cause of his young sacrifice's many injuries.

The sacrifice paused for a moment before answering. "Yes, it's an order. Now stay out here. I'll be back in a little while."

Ritsuka didn't explain, he knew that he couldn't stay at home, with his mother, in his condition. Hesitantly, he opened the door slowly and stepped inside.

"Ritsuka." His mother said suddenly, startling the boy, and walked toward him."You're home early. Who is that man outside?"

"Mom, I-I had a fever and I was sent home from school." He said, avoiding the question. "Why didn't you answer me? Who is that man outside?" She said, a glint in her eye.

He knew it was a bad idea not to answer, but an even worse one to tell her the truth.

"Mom I'm really tired...I'm going to go up to my room and rest." He said, moving toward the stairs.

"Stop calling me mom." She said striking him across the face. "You're not my Ritsuka."

Despite the pain, he moved, he was used to this.

He was still a bit dizzy, so he held onto the railing with his left arm for support as he started walking up the stairs.

"Where is my Ritsuka! What have you done to my son!" She screamed. "You're not my Ritsuka!"

In a flash, his mother grabbed his arm and pulled him down the stairs with far more force than one would think that she could.

Ritsuka's arm was half over the railing when she pulled.

There was a sickening **_crack_** as his bone snapped and then he felt a strong jolt of pain throughout his arm as she released it and he fell.

He cried out in pain as his head hit the floor hard.

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Soubi heard this and tried his best to obey his order. It was definitely hard, considering that he could have sworn he just heard his sacrifice. It didn't sound like anything good.

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His mother grabbed his now broken arm, causing him to cry out again. The pain was like none that he'd ever felt before. Tears flowed freely down his face.

"Give me back my Ritsuka!" She screamed, lifting him up by that single arm.

- Another scream, this time from Ritsuka.

"Soubi!"

That was all he needed. Soubi burst through the door.

He paused in the doorway for a moment, taking in the horrid scene before him.

There was Ritsuka, _his_ Ritsuka, tears streaming down his pale face, blood dripping down his neck, his thin arm twisted behind him at a very odd angle and his mother...laughing.

Soubi moved quickly.

He pulled Ritsuka out of his mother's clutches as gently as possible and held him against his chest.

Feeling something warm on his hand (which was on the back of Ritsuka's head) he looked down and noticed that it was blood. He moved his hand to rest on the boy's back instead, so as not to cause him anymore pain.

The fighter looked up, anger evident in his sapphire eyes. The woman glared at him. "He's not my Ritsuka, my Ritsuka would never-"

"You're right, he is not _your_ Ritsuka. A proper mother would never harm her child!"

This was the first time Ritsuka had ever heard Soubi like this, he never lost his temper. "Soubi-ah-stop." He commanded, dizziness and pain weighing down on him.

Soubi obeyed.

While Ritsuka's mother went on screaming about how her baby would never hang around with adults and other things that faded into noise, Soubi slowly lowered Ritsuka to the floor, causing him to whimper in pain. The older man winced.

_How could I have let this happen?..._

Soubi took off his coat and placed it under his young sacrifice's blood-stained head. His expression softened as he looked into the boy's violet eyes.

"Ritsuka, it's going to be alright."

Another tear flowed from the corner of Ritsuka's eye. "Soubi..." The man's face was getting blurry.

"Ritsuka, you need to stay awake." The blond commanded quietly, worry etched into his normally calm features.

"I-I can't...so...tired..." He responded, his eyes closing.

"Ritsuka, please." The man stroked his wet cheek.

Ritsuka felt as though all of his pain had left him. Just before he slipped into the darkness, he heard those three lovely words, "I love you..."

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Poor Ritsuka! It hurt me just to write that. It's sort of an idea I've been thinking of for a while.

Hope you liked it! Please review.

P.S.- For those of you who noticed the changes, I couldn't live with myself forgetting basic rules of head trauma.


	3. Hospital

Just as the last two, this chapter has been slightly revised.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless because someone else does. But you know, if they weren't around...

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**Chapter 3**

Outside, the sun was setting and the cloudless sky was a mix of orange and pink.

Soubi sat in a chair and watched the small boy before him, just as he had done since the day before.

Ritsuka's chest rose and fell as he lay in the hospital bed. There was a cast on his left arm, another bandage on his cheek- to add to the one that was already there, a bandage around his head and dozens of bruises all over his frail body.

_Even with all of that, he still looks beautiful..._

The fighter looked up as he heard a groan.

"Soubi..." Ritsuka breathed before he even opened his eyes. The flaxen-blond put his hand over Ritsuka's smaller one. "I'm here."

The boy smiled meekly, despite his extensive injuries, and opened his eyes.

"Ritsuka, why didn't you tell me what was happening?" Soubi asked.

Ritsuka's smile faded, he'd hoped that he wouldn't have to explain things so soon. For once, he looked Soubi right in the eye."I didn't want to worry you..." He admitted quietly, tears welling up in his eyes.

The man leaned down and kissed him on the lips. "Silly child, I worry about you already."

"I'm not a child." Ritsuka stated, as defiantly as ever.

"Now tell me, where did those scars on your wrists come from?" Soubi asked, fearing that he already knew the answer.

This time, Ritsuka looked away from him.

"Ritsuka, did you hurt yourself?" Soubi questioned gently.

Tears flowed from his eyes as he slowly nodded his head. Soubi took his quivering chin in his hand wiped away the tears. He then let it rest on the boy's heated cheek.

Ritsuka somehow felt at fault.

_After Semei died and I lost my memories, I didn't want to live. Not knowing who you are, wondering what will happen if the person whose body you're in comes back..._

"I'm weak." He stated plainly.

"No, Ritsuka, you're very strong, but you are still very young, no matter how mature or self-reliant you think you are. It's easier to go through these things with someone there to help you... someone that cares about you." Soubi assured him.

Ritsuka leaned into the older man's hand and closed his eyes. Soubi kissed his forehead and smiled even though the child was too close to sleep to even notice.

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A few hours later, Soubi awoke. It was dark now and he wondered briefly what time it was. He remembered that he had fallen asleep beside Ritsuka.

Sitting up, he noticed the wonderful way that the moonlight shone down upon the face of the one he loved. The entirety of it was lit in a heavenly glow, a faint blush colored his pale cheeks with a rosy tint, his fever still present. His eyelids moved every now and then.

_What could he be dreaming of?..._

Soubi gazed down at the boy with a look that could only be described as pure love. He reluctantly stood (as he didn't want to leave the boy's side) and decided that he'd go and get drinks.

Before leaving, he placed a light kiss on peach lips.

He shut the door as quietly as possible and walked out into the bright white hospital hallway. Looking at a clock on the wall, he saw that it was 10:37.

How odd it was, he thought, that in the time that he'd been here, no one had asked him to leave.

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Soon he came back to Ritsuka's room holding a coffee in one hand, and a bottle of apple juice in the other. Such contrasting beverages...much like the people who were to drink them.

He sat back down and watched Ritsuka some more, he could never get enough of just _watching_ that sweet boy.

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The next morning, Ritsuka woke up with a throbbing headache. The pain-killers had helped quite a bit, but he was still in some pain. He turned slowly and faced a pair of elegant blue eyes.

"Good morning, Ritsuka." Soubi said, brushing a stray piece of dark hair out of his young sacrifice's face.

"Here, I brought you some breakfast." He said, as he moved a tray toward his bedside. The meal consisted of: eggs, orange juice, a bowl of cereal, toast, milk, an apple and two aspirin.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got everything. I know you need your strength." Soubi stated.

"This is great, it's not like normal hospital food at all." Ritsuka replied with a small smile. "I know, I went out and bought it for you at a little store down the street. Well, everything but the eggs, they are from the hospital, so be careful." The man said with a smirk.

A hint of worry crossed the fighter's face when Ritsuka reached for the aspirin, only to wince in pain. Taking the glass of orange juice, he swallowed them.

"By the way Soubi, what time is it?"

"A little past time you'd be getting out of school."

_That's right, it's Wednesday. I wonder if anyone even noticed that I wasn't in school..._

Just then, there was a knock at the door to his room.

"Ritsuka-kun, it's Yuiko and Yayoi-kun, can we come in?" Soubi stood and opened the door, knowing that a visit from his friends would make Ritsuka feel better.

As soon as Yuiko entered the room and saw what bad shape her friend was in, she rushed over to hug him.

Soubi stopped her, "Be careful." He said quietly. She understood and decided to stand next to him instead.

"We brought you gifts." She said, placing a rather large, brown teddy bear at the foot of his bed.

Yayoi placed a bouquet of flowers in a vase on the window sill.

Ritsuka smiled, "Thank you both."

Yuiko frowned, looking at his bandages. "Does it hurt?" She asked, worried. "No, not really." He lied, the last thing he needed was to make Yuiko sad.

Yuiko shook her head causing her pink pigtails to sway. "Yui- I want you to get better soon, Ritsuka-kun!" She said, her eyes growing teary.

Yayoi became jealous, as usual, at this sign of affection.

Soubi stood against the wall across from the bed, watching as the three talked about what had gone on in school that day, what the homework was about (which they had brought for him), etc.

This gave him time to think.

How had he not realized what was going on all this time?

_Ritsuka was in pain this whole time, and I don't think that I ever realized. I saw the occasional bandage, but he's a boy (granted not a normal one) but I thought that maybe he got them from sports or perhaps from a battle, or he was just being clumsy. How could I have been so blind, especially after what I've been through? But that woman...she's his_ mother

He clenched his fist, he was growing angry again.

Just one order, that's all he needed, to do away with that _problem_ for good. He knew that Ritsuka would never have that, though.

_How am I going to tell him? How will he react? He never spoke about his mother, badly or otherwise, but how could he not hate her after all that she's done to him?..._

He'd talked to Ritsuka's doctorearlier that day...

Flashback

"_Mr...?" The doctor started. "Agatsuma Soubi, or just Soubi." The doctor nodded._

"_Agatsuma-san, I checked the patient's-" _

"_Ritsuka." Soubi quickly corrected him. His sacrifice wasn't just any patient._

"_Ritsuka-kun's X-rays and they worry me a little. He has old injuries, many that seemed to have healed on their own, some were treated. His immune system is weak, probably due to the fact that he's malnourished. It's nothing too serious, but it could escalate to a more serious state. My point is that he needs someone to take better care of him, as you may be aware, his mother is incapable of doing so and he has no other relatives that we can find. _

_He's just a child and we don't want to put him into foster care, there are so many complications in his case, and we don't want to put him through any more unnecessary obstacles. Would you be willing to help? He seems to be attached to you already and he's old enough to not be overly dependent. He really doesn't appear to have anyone else..."_

_If the doctor would have stopped trying to convince Soubi for a second, he would have noticed the glint of happiness in the man's eyes._

"_Of course, it would be no trouble at all." Soubi said, finally stopping the doctor in his rambling._

"_Are you sure? I recall you mentioning that you're in college, do you think that you're capable of caring for a child?" The doctor, who had been trying to convince him just a moment ago, now seemed unsure._

_It's fine, I'll take care of him. Don't worry doctor, he'll be in good hands." Soubi assured him with a kind smile. _

"_Very well then, I'll keep you informed of his condition." The doctor said and walked away._

_He finally had the doctor convinced, he wondered what Ritsuka would say. Would he comply and live with him? Or would he fight him and try to stay with his mother?..._

End flashback

The blond looked up as he heard the three saying their goodbyes. He'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't realized over forty minutes had past.

"See you tomorrow Ritsuka-kun!"Yuiko said as she and Yayoi walked out of the room.

Once the door was closed, Ritsuka spoke, "What were you thinking about?" "What do you mean?" The older man asked, feigning confusion.

"You looked spaced out the whole time they were here. I was just wondering what were you thinking about."Ritsuka replied.

Soubi sighed, he knew that he would have to tell him sooner or later, and later was a very bad idea. He walked over, moved the soft teddy bear and sat on the edge of the hospital bed. His face was solemn and it worried Ritsuka a bit.

"I love you Ritsuka, you know that right?" He didn't expect an answer and he didn't receive one, just a slightly perplexed look. (A very cute one at that.)

Soubi placed a hand on the boy's good arm. "Ritsuka, you know that what you mother did to you was wrong, right? Well, when adults do things like that, they need to be punished." He explained.

Why was Soubi speaking to him as if he were a child? What was going on?

"Soubi, stop talking to me like that." Ritsuka said suddenly. "Like what?" Soubi questioned.

"Like I'm just some little kid."

Soubi regarded him for a moment, then nodded. "You're right, you're not so much of a child anymore." He admitted, more to himself than to Ritsuka.

He continued, "Your mother was... taken away. I explained all that I had seen and they saw what she did to you. She can't take care of you anymore, Ritsuka, or at least not for a long time. She needs to be treated, to learn that, that is no way for a mother to behave and understand that you've changed, as well as help rehabilitate her. Do you understand?"

Ritsuka nodded, he wasn't certain what it was that he was getting at though.

"Since there's no one else to take care of you, and they don't want to put you into foster care...they asked me to be your legal guardian, that way, you'd live with me. Of course there are papers to sign and some lengthy processes to go through, but in the end, it's your choice to make."

Here, he paused and looked deep into Ritsuka's violet eyes. "I want to know if that's alright with you. I love you very much and I would love for you to remain with me, but it's not completely my choice. If you really don't want to stay with me, you don't have to."

With those words, Ritsuka could see the sadness in the older man's eyes.

The doctors were right though, there was no where else for him to go.

Foster care meant that he would be tossed about from place to place, never truly being cared about. If the person didn't like him, they could just send him back, like some unwanted dinner at a fancy restaurant...

No.

He didn't want that, he cared about Soubi and Soubi cared about him, he knew that he would keep him safe and take good care of him. He already laid his life down for him during their battles, normal tasks would be easy for him to handle.

Ritsuka placed his right hand over Soubi's and smiled. "I'll stay with you."

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I hope you liked it, please review!

P.S.- You may have realized that I didn't mention his dad when the doctor said there were no relatives. In the manga, his dad is there, but not often and I just thought that I'd cut him out entirely. Make up your own reason for why he's not there...maybe he's dead.

P.P.S.- I have a lemon that's sort of on the back-burner, if you'd like me to put in later, then tell me.


	4. Homecoming

Sorry about the slow updates, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint all of my faithful follwers..I-I mean reviewers.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless...damn.

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**Chapter 4**

A few weeks had passed, Yuiko and Yayoi visited Ritsuka almost everyday. They helped him with his homework, told him what was going on in school, the many rumors about his absence and, of course, Yuiko drew happy little creatures and shapes all over his cast. Except for one part, which contained a small drawing of a butterfly.

Soubi stayed by his side nearly all day, everyday.

No one ever told him to leave and he never questioned this. He assumed it was because the staff had found out what had happened to Semei; he saw the sympathetic looks the nurses gave Ritsuka as they passed. They knew about his mother as well...they pitied the boy.

No matter, it gave him more time to spend with Ritsuka. Although there were a few times during his stay that Ritsuka would yell at him and tell him to leave yet, as always, he stayed close by.

He was able to hear Ritsuka speak his name whilst dreaming, and scream it in the fit of a nightmare. Most of all, he enjoyed simply being able to be so close to the one he loved...

Kio wasn't too happy about having to take care of expenses, or cover for Soubi in school, but in spite of that, he did what Soubi asked of him.

Today was the day that Ritsuka got to go home- well, to Soubi and Kio's house at least.

He was looking much better now. The bandage had been removed from his head (although it still hurt to touch), many of the bruises were almost healed as well as some of the cuts and scrapes, the worst thing remaining was his left arm- it had been fractured in several places and would have to remain in the cast for a few more weeks.

Soubi had sent Kio over to Ritsuka's house to pick up some of his belongings and he had brought it all to their apartment.

"Here we are." Soubi said as they walked through the door.

The apartment wasn't quite as messy as it usually was, paintings were still scattered about but in a more orderly manner and a few were hanging on the walls. Ritsuka's stuff was in boxes to the side of the living room, they hadn't decided where he would stay yet.

Soubi had an idea though.

Kio had called him a pervert while they were discussing the topic over the phone just because he guessed what Soubi was thinking.

It wasn't so bad moving into a new place, Ritsuka thought. He'd been in Soubi's house a few times before and it wasn't too awkward.

The worst part would be going back to school tomorrow.

He hated being the center of attention and Yuiko and Yayoi had told him about the many rumors that were going around about him: He had gotten in a fight with the highschool football team and lost, kissed a girl and her brother beat him up, kissed a girl and _she_ beat him up, he tried to kill himself by jumping off of the roof of his house but it didn't work...

The list went on from there, ranging from the most bizarre, to the most practical, but none were close to the truth.

_No one understands and I don't want them to try. I just wish they could leave me alone..._

"Ritsuka." Soubi said, jerking him out of his thoughts.

He looked up at Soubi who smiled at him. "I was thinking that you could stay in my room."

"Aha, I knew it, you pervert." Kio said with a wink.

"Kio, it's merely a gesture. I don't want him to have to sleep on the couch, it's uncomfortable...and surely he can't stay in_ your_ room." Here, he shot Kio a slight glare. "So, of course, my room is the most suitable."

Ritsuka blushed.

The thought of staying in a room with Soubi scared him a bit. Well, he had slept in his hospital room, but that was different...he wasn't sure how though.

"Ritsuka, are you alright? Do you have a fever again?" Soubi asked a hint of concern in his voice.

"N-no..." Was the weak reply.

"Well then, lets move your things into my room." Soubi replied, his voice picking up again.

He was really happy that Ritsuka was out of the hospital and he was okay.

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Hours later, Soubi and Kio were done unpacking Ritsuka's things and arranging them in Soubi's room.

They had spent the day out with Yuiko and Yayoi, they went for ice-cream and dinner to celebrate Ritsuka being discharged from the hospital.

When they got home, they remembered that there was still that pesky unpacking to get done. Soubi had refused to let Ritsuka do it himself, or even help for that matter.

"Why exactly did I help again?" Kio asked.

Soubi turned to him, "Because Kio, you're a good friend." He said with an uncharacteristic smile which greatly frightened Kio.

"Right. Well, I'm going to go out for a few hours." Kio stated, standing.

"We were out all day though." Ritsuka said.

"Yes, a college student out with three elementary-schoolers and a perverted friend...I need to go out with some people more suited to my _tastes_." He explained as he walked out of the room.

"Besides-" He said, sticking his head back into the room, "I think you two need a little alone time." He left quickly before anything could happen to him.

Ritsuka was blushing...again.

Soubi looked at him, "You look so cute when you blush like that."He said, messing up his soft, dark hair causing Ritsuka's ears to twitch.

As his face began to become more flushed, he got up and began setting down a comforter on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Soubi asked from the edge of his bed.

Ritsuka didn't look up.

"You can't sleep on the floor." He said matter-of-factly.

"Yes I can." Came the childish reply.

Soubi couldn't help but smile. "Come, sleep with me."

Ritsuka looked up, a surprised expression on his face.

Soubi just shook his head.

Swiftly, but carefully, he pulled Ritsuka up by the waist and laid him on the bed. The boy looked up to see the older man over him...Soubi had a hand and leg on either side of him as he straddled his small form.

His breath caught in his throat. "Soubi-" Soubi cut him off.

"I'm your guardian now and know what's best for you. So...listen to me." With that, he joined their mouths in a sweet kiss.

After a few seconds, he moved away.

Ritsuka's cheeks were tinged pink and his hair was a little messed up.

"So cute, little Ritsuka." The fighter said with a smirk, reaching over and turning off the light.

He laid down next to his sacrifice and put an arm across his stomach.

Ritsuka had been right before, staying with Soubi would be a...task and now he understood why.

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So that was chapter 4, I hope you liked it. Sorry if it seemed a bit short though...

Please review.


	5. Mistake

Sorry for making you guys wait for so long all the time, life gets in the way...I hope this chapter is to your liking (kudos to you if you get the manga reference there.)

Thanks so much to those who have already reviewed, I love you guys in a strictly non-sexual and non-freaky way.

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own Loveless.

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**Chapter 5**

The sun was evil, Ritsuka decided, very, very evil.

He awoke oddly refreshed and a little cold. He had a blanket on, so why was he cold? He looked next to him, that was it, Soubi wasn't there.

Sitting up and yawing, he looked down to see that he still had his clothes on from yesterday.

"What time is it?" He asked no one in particular. Then it hit him: school.

"Oh no, I'm late!" He started looking around the room frantically, searching for- wait, what was he searching for? Clothes, yes that was it, he needed to change.

Soubi had been watching him for a few minutes and he had to admit, it was quite entertaining.

For one: Ritsuka wasn't late, he wouldn't have let the boy be late because then he'd get angry with him. Two: here was this young boy- clothes wrinkled from sleeping in them, hair a mess, worry and panic on his face and he was looking through his possessions one-handed...so cute.

He couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle, he'd never seen his young sacrifice like this.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka yelled suddenly looking at him, "Why didn't you wake me up!" He asked in a sort of whiny-angry voice.

"Because, little one..." He said, putting a hand on the boy's head and tousling his dark hair.

"You've over an hour until it's time for you to go to school." He smirked.

Ritsuka heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed.

When he came out into the living room a little while later, he sniffed the air. Ah, the aroma of breakfast. Soubi looked up from the frying pan. "Ritsuka, I'm just about finished making breakfast."

"I'd say that this makes up for the hospital eggs." Soubi said, setting down a plate of scrambled eggs. It wasn't exactly cuisine, but he knew that Ritsuka would like it.

"Thanks Soubi." The boy said sitting down at the small table.

Soubi couldn't wait to make meals for the person he cared about mos everyday.

_Everyday..._

That word held more meaning than most gave it credit for. _Everyday_ he would be able to see Ritsuka when he woke up, _everyday _he would be able to cook him whatever breakfast that he wanted, _everyday _he would be able to see him off for school, _everyday _he would be better able to protect him, _everyday _he would be able to make him dinner, _everyday_ he would be able to watch him sleep..._everyday_...

"Soubi?" Ritsuka asked.

He hadn't noticed he was staring. "Yes Ritsuka?"

"I have to go to school now, Yuiko is going to meet me and we'll walk there together ."

Soubi smiled, it felt a bit silly to be taking care of him like a mother and loving him the way he did but..."I made you lunch." He said, holding up a brown paper bag.

"Soubi you...didn't have to." There it was again, a blush crawling up those cheeks. He turned quickly and started to walk toward the door.

Soubi grabbed his shoulder, turning him around.

Their lips met in a less-than-chaste kiss. Soubi's lips moved less than an inch away. "I love you." He said, Ritsuka could feel the warmth of his breath against his lips.

Without a word, only a deeper pink coloring his cheeks, Ritsuka turned and walked out the door.

He left behind a confident Soubi.

No, it didn't feel odd at all, he thought. In fact, it felt perfect.

--------------------------------------

As Ritsuka walked into the classroom with Yuiko, everyone turned and looked at them.

_Crap, I knew I'd have to deal with this sooner or later._

Ritsuka sat down and prepared himself for a long day.

"Ritsuka, it's good to have you back." Shinonome said, giving him a kind smile. "I'm sure that it shouldn't take you very long to catch up, but if you need any help, I'm always here after school."

He nodded, "Thank you sensei."

The woman turned and began to write on the chalk board. This gave the other kids in his class their chance.

"So Ritsuka, are the rumors true?" Questioned a girl.

He didn't have a chance to answer (not that he was going to) because a boy came up next to him.

"Yeah, did you really get beat up by a girl?" He asked.

- "No, I heard that he jumped off a roof!

- "I heard that he got jumped!"

And it just escalated from there...

Ritsuka put his head down on his desk.

_Great, just great..._

"Leave Ritsuka-kun alone. That's not what happened at all!" Suddenly came a loud, yet unsure voice.

The class turned to Yuiko. "Oh? And how would _you_ know?" One of her ex-"friends" questioned.

"Be-because, I just do." The pink-haired girl replied more quietly this time.

She was trying to protect Ritsuka, he knew that. He also knew that he didn't want the whole school to find out about what his mother had done...but it would happen sooner or later...

"Yuiko, it's okay." Ritsuka said, lifting his head. The group looked at him as well as Shinonome sensei, who was quite surprised.

"She's right, you're all wrong, that's not what happened at all."

"Ritsuka-kun..." Yuiko whispered. She didn't even know what had truly happened, Ritsuka had refused to go into depth and she respected his wishes. That's why she had attempted to help him.

"The truth is...it's not any of your business." He said, his eyes cold.

The light brown-haired teacher thought that now was a good time to intervene before...anything happened.

"Everyone please take your seats and we'll start today's lesson." She said and the class, albeit a bit more silently than usual, obeyed.

--------------------------------

The last bell rang and Ritsuka got up to leave. All day, as expected, he had received odd stares, but everyone pretty much stayed away from him.

He and Yuiko were the last in the classroom.

"Ritsuka-kun, may I speak with you?" Shinonome asked, a look of worry on her face.

Ritsuka sighed.

"Actually sensei, I really should be going now." He said and left the room without another word.

He hated explaining personal problems to teachers, they always acted like they could help.

---------------

Hitomi watched as he walked out of the school to meet up with Yuiko again. She saw that man...Agatsuma-san, he always waited for Ritsuka after school.

She sighed, there was definitely something amiss.

----------------

Ritsuka and Soubi entered the apartment. Ritsuka placed him book-bag down on the floor next to the couch and went into the kitchen to get a snack.

"Ritsuka, I'd like it if you would finish your homework early." Soubi said, sitting down on the couch a cigarette between his lips.

"I'd like it if you'd stop smoking, but that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon." The boy retorted a bit coldly.

The fighter flinched and put out his cigarette in an ashtray on the side table.

His sacrifice came out of the kitchen with a glass and sat down on the other side of the couch, making sure that he was as far away from the older man as possible.

The blonde could tell that he was not in the best of moods and naturally wanted to cheer him up. (Besides, he looked terribly cute with an angry look on that sweet face of his.)

He reached a slender arm over and brushed it across Ritsuka's pale cheek.

The hand was slapped away.

The older of the two didn't give up that easily though. Slowly, he moved closer to the boy and then swung a leg over Ritsuka's knee, then the other.

The fighter's legs now immobilized his sacrifice.

"Soubi, get off!" Ritsuka yelled, struggling a blush growing on his cheeks.

Soubi just gazed at him with his typical look. His strong blue eyes prying into the boy's. Ritsuka looked away and continued struggling.

He placed a hand on Ritsuka's right shoulder. Lifting the other, he held his chin, forcing him to face him, their faces were but a few inches away.

"Ritsuka..." Soubi whispered, causing the boy to shiver beneath him, as well as deepening the color of his already pink-tinged cheeks.

Ritsuka was quite ambivalent when it came to these situations.

_Why does he always do this to me? I feel so..._

"S-Soubi...stop, let me go." He said weakly.

The older man leaned forward...and the couple was interrupted by a very loud, "What the hell!" From none other than the flaxen-haired man's roommate.

The two looked up, Soubi moved off of the boy's lap and onto the couch beside him.

"Sheesh, I knew that you two would do these types of things because of how perverted Sou-chan is but I thought that you'd at least have the decency to do it in the room on the bed that you two share." Kio complained.

Ritsuka's face was now a lovely shade of red as he left the room. Soubi just lit up another cigarette, seemingly unfazed by the annoying blonde.

He was actually very disappointed that they were unable to partake in such a moment but, he reminded himself, there was always time for that _later_.

-----------------------------------

After dinner, Ritsuka had sped off to the room he and Soubi shared. He set up a comforter on the floor, he was_ not_ going to sleep in the bed with Soubi, not after what happened on the couch.

Soubi opened the door and walked in. "Kio went out, he said something about thoughts racing through his mind about something or other." He said with a slight smile as he closed the door behind him.

His expression soon changed to somewhat disappointed. "Ritsuka, why are you sleeping on the floor? I told you, it's much better to sleep in the bed with me."

"No, I'll stay on the floor thank you." Came the short reply.

"By the way-" Soubi started as he sat down on the bed and looked down at the boy. "-why were you in such a bad mood after school? I haven't had the chance to talk to you about it."

"Nothing."

"_Really?_" Soubi questioned resting his chin on a hand. "Yes really." Ritsuka replied tersely, it was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it.

Ritsuka knew Soubi, he wouldn't let up until he got what he wanted.

_But what am I supposed to say? The kids at school were mean to me? Heh, that would be _perfect_. Besides why is he prying?..._

The older man sat down next to the boy. "Ritsuka..." He leaned in gently kissed him.

Ritsuka pushed him away, causing him to fall backward.

"You know what Soubi! I don't have to tell you everything, can't you just leave me alone for once?"

He looked up at Ritsuka with hurt in his eyes for a moment, then quickly changed back into his usual expression of indifference.

"I'm going for a walk." He said slowly and standing. "Soub-"Ritsuka started, but he just walked out.

The young sacrifice threw his head back onto his pillow.

_Why did I do that? He looked so...hurt...He was only asking because he cares about me and I just yelled at him and pushed him away, literally. What is wrong with me?_

--------------------------

Soubi walked out into the brisk night air, he hadn't even bothered to grab his coat but he barely noticed the sting of the cold wind on his skin.

_Why did he push me? _

The thought perplexed the man. Usually Ritsuka just blushed or told him to stop...he had hit his hand away before, but he had never pushed him...Of course he wasn't hurt physically, but emotionally was another story.

_Why must he always drive me away? I only wish to be closer to him, to understand him...to love him. _

He shook his head.

_Of course it wouldn't be that easy...He's going through so much right now and I can only think about how much I want to be near him. He's in pain and I'm being selfish...like a stupid child..._

He smiled in spite of himself.

---------------------------------------------

I hope you liked it.

Remember, reviews make the authoress happy.


	6. Rain

Chapter 6, huzzah.

Youji and Natsuo are in this chapter just to let you know, they may seem a bit out of character though.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless, because if I did, I'd rule the world!

-------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 6**

When Ritsuka woke up, Soubi wasn't anywhere to be found.

_I guess he must have slept on the couch..._

He got dressed and walked out into the living room and glanced around the room. Nope, not on the couch.

He became hopeful when he heard someone in the kitchen.

Kio heard him walk in and turned his head. "Ah, Ritsuka, Soubi isn't here. He said in that indifferent way that he does when he doesn't want to show how he's really feeling that, 'it would be best if you didn't see each other today,' for whatever reason." He sighed. "I made pancakes if you want some."

"No thanks." Ritsuka said, slumping down onto the couch.

"Whatever." Kio replied, sat down and began to eat pancakes himself. Smothered in syrup, that is. He wasn't responsible for him, that was Soubi's job now.

After sitting on the couch for a while, Ritsuka stood, gathered his school stuff and turned to Kio.

"Tell Soubi that I have a session after school...with my psychiatrist." He said, leaving.

"Psychiatrist?" Kio said aloud.

Then again, what would you expect, his mom beat the crap out of him and even succeeded in putting him in the hospital because he wasn't the son that she remembered. He also knew that Ritsuka had lost his memory a few years ago and he wanted to get his old self back...

Listening to people's conversations may not be very nice, but he was pretty skilled at it and he thought he deserved to know at least a little. Soubi never told him anything and he didn't know the boy well enough to persuade him to open up.

"Jeez, why does everything have to be so complicated!" Kio shouted in exasperation, shaking his head.

He couldn't help but feel bad for the kid though.

----------------------------------

School passed far too slowly for Ritsuka's liking. He was worrying about Soubi all day, not that, that was really a change from before.

Now, unlike before though, after an argument or falling out, he had to face the man right away, he was living in his house after all.

On top of that, someone had run into him in the hallway and nearly broken his arm again...he didn't see how that could be possible though...

He sighed as he walked to the bus stop.

Maybe he could forget about all of this for a little while during his session...

--------------------

"It's good to see you, forgive me for not visiting you in the hospital, I have a lot of work. Now...tell me, Ritsuka, how did you break your arm?" Shouko senseisaid, picking up a pad of paper and a pen.

"My mom was having one of her fits again..." Ritsuka began. "...and she got more violent than usual."

Here she stopped him, "Now, do you know of anything that could have caused this change? Something that may have set her off?"

"Something different?" Ritsuka asked. She nodded.

"Well, she saw my friend outside." He said. "What was wrong with them? Why would she get angry because of this particular friend?"

"He's an adult." Ritsuka said, without thinking.

"An adult friend, I can see why your mother might not approve of such a relationship...Is this the man who knew you brother?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about him." She said, folding her hands in her lap.

_Why did I have to say anything?..._

Ritsuka really didn't feel like talking about Soubi right now.

"Let's start with his involvement in that day." She said, tucking her short hair behind her ear.

He_ really_ didn't want to talk about Soubi but, he knew that she would ask him more, so he told her. "He saved me after she...attacked me."

He could remember everything about that day very clearly, despite the fact that he was dizzy and not feeling well throughout the ordeal.

"Did she do anything else to you?"

He sighed.

If there was anything that he wanted to talk about less than Soubi, it was this. He could tell that it was going to be a long day...

----------------------

Ritsuka walked down the sidewalk.

_I guess it _was_ kind of relieving to be able to talk to someone. While I was in the hospital, I had people around me, but I couldn't tell them anything. Especially not _him

The memory of a face flashed in his mind...flaxen hair slightly shaded mysterious blue eyes and a smirk filled with a deeper sense of knowing...

The boy shook his head to get the thought of Soubi out of his mind and a drop of rain landed on his nose.

Soon after, more rain began to fall.

"Great." He said sarcastically, looking up at the gray sky.

As the drops of water got bigger and the rain began to fall harder, he sighed. He knew that he'd be soaked by the time he got back to Soubi's apartment.

----------------------

There was a light knock on the door of Soubi and Kio's apartment.

Youji looked up from a book on Japanese art. He was grateful for the interruption, the strange words and art terms made no sense to him at all.

That didn't mean that he was going to get up though.

"Natsuo, get the door." He called from the couch.

The burgundy-haired fighter looked up at him, a soft roll in his mouth. "Lazy, get it yourself."

There was another knock, slightly louder this time.

"Dammit." Natsuo stated, noticing that his sacrifice wasn't going to get up no matter what.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he walked to the door and opened it.

"Ey, it's Loveless." He called back into the room.

Youji looked up as Ritsuka followed Natsuo in, his wet clothes creating a large puddle as he did so. He couldn't help but laugh at the scene before him. "You look like a drowned little kitten." He said with a mocking smile.

He was right for the most part: Ritsuka's ears were drooping, dark, wet hair was plastered to his face, slightly covering his violet eyes and his wet clothes stuck to his skin (which was wet as well.)

"I think he looks cute. It's a good thing that Soubi isn't here, eh Youji?" Natsuo said winking at the boy on the couch.

Ritsuka cringed at the mention of the man's name.

"But-," he paused to swallow, "we should get you dried up before you catch a cold." He said, moving wet hair out of the other boy's scowling face.

Ritsuka slapped his hand away. "I can do it myself."

"Oh, can't we help a little?" The mint green-haired boy asked with a pout.

Ritsuka just walked into his- Soubi's room.

"Too bad." Natsuo said, sitting down and leaning on Youji.

With some difficulty, Ritsuka finally managed to remove his soaking clothing. He dried himself off and changed his clothes.

He walked into the living room, drying his now only damp hair with a towel.

"Hello little kitty." Youji said with a giggle. Ritsuka responded by throwing the moist towel at his face. "Where's Kio?" He asked.

The other sacrifice tossed the towel to the floor. "How should we know? He just called and said that he was going to be out late."

"Besides," Natsuo said, " Shouldn't you be asking where Soubi is instead?"

Ritsuka looked down.

"Whatever...Weren't you in the hospital for a while?" The burgundy-haired boy asked. "Yeah, what happened, did you get into a battle without Soubi or something?" Youji questioned.

"That'd be a first." Natsuo mumbled.

"No." Ristuka replied, glaring at the boy.

"All I know is that if you two were connected, nothing like that would have ever happened. Soubi would never get you get hurt that bad...or did he?" Youji asked arching an eyebrow.

"Shut up! Soubi would never let anything happen to me!" Ritsuka yelled, then paused for a moment.

_He _wouldn't_ let anything happen to me..._

The epiphany sent him running out the door and back into the pouring rain leaving behind a confused Zero.

Natsuo smacked Youji in the back of the head. "Now look what you've done, he's going to get sick going out in the rain like that and now it's dark, something could happen to him."

"So?" "So...Soubi's going to blame us and kick us out, or worse."

"Oh..." He looked up. "We're not going out there after him, are we?"

"No way, did you see that downpour?" Natsuo said, picking up the book on Japanese art. Youji laughed and kissed the other boy on the cheek.

The fighter took this as an invitation and leaned over to bring their lips together in a strong kiss.

Youji broke the kiss, "Hey, there's a place for such things."

"Heh, Kio's room?"

"Of course, he's never here at night anyway." He replied with a smirk.

The two got off the couch and went down the small hallway to Kio's room, locking the door behind them.

-------------------------------------------

Soubi stood under an awning in front of a building. He intended to go back to the apartment when he thought that Ritsuka would be asleep. Taking out his cell phone, he looked at the time, it read 10:52.

_Unfortunately for me, that's not going to be for a while..._

Flipping it closed, he sighed and stepped out into the rain. The flaxen-haired man didn't really care if his coat or even if his clothes got wet for that matter, that was the least of his problems right now.

_Ritsuka is going to be angry with me for not being there today, or tonight...maybe but, he _did_ say that he wanted me to just leave him alone..._

Droplets of rain fell down his pale face as he walked across the wet street. He wasn't sure where he planned to go. For now, he was just walking.

Cars passed by, their headlights momentarily lighting his tall form. The sound of rushing water caught his attention and he looked next to him to see a river running under a bridge. Stepping onto the bridge, he gazed down into the water.

Rain drops seemed to disappear as they joined the water of the river.

Instead of his reflection, there was only a slightly colored shadow on the surface of the water. As he watched, thoughts ran through his head.

_...if I could just tell him some of the truth..._

_...would he forgive me?..._

_... and what if I just left? Maybe he would be happier..._

_...Shouldn't I just leave him alone?..._

The thoughts dripped into his mind, building up, one was clear among the rest though.

_Ritsuka..._

Suddenly Soubi felt like someone was watching him. He turned and saw Ritsuka, dripping wet and panting.

"I...finally...found you." The boy said, leaning on the bridge railing.

"Ritsuka, what are you doing out here? It's pouring and you're going to get sick." He said, his voice concerned.

"I was looking for you."

Soubi furrowed his brows, "You told me to leave you alone..."

"I know and...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh." The younger boy admitted.

Soubi nodded, "And I shouldn't have bothered you so much...so we both have reason to be sorry." He said, walking toward his small sacrifice.

Ritsuka looked up and smiled. The man then leaned down and pressed their lips together, pulling away after a few seconds.

"Come on." Soubi held out his hand and Ritsuka took it. The two walked hand in hand in the rain...

"Your cast is wet."

"I know.

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I hope you liked it!

P.S- Sorry if it sounded like his psychiatrist didn't know about Soubi, I can't really get her character.

Also, Youji and Natsuo were off causing mischief for the last few days so they weren't there (that's the best excuse I could come up with anyway.)


	7. Dinner

Hokay, here's chapter 7 everyone. Thank everyone sooooo much for your lovely reviews! I'm glad that people actually like my writing.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless but, I do own my wacky mind which I'd sell on ebay if the price was right...

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**Chapter 7**

****

"Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko ran to catch up with the dark-haired boy.

He looked up at her as she caught up and walked beside him.

She smiled broadly at his cheerful expression. "You look much happier today than you did yesterday. Is it because you made up with Soubi-san?"

"Ye- uhh...what are you talking about?"

"Come on Ritsuka-kun, you seemed really out of it and sad yesterday. If it wasn't about him, then what else could it have been?" She questioned. "Now come on, I'm sure that your 'protector' is waiting for you." She pulled his arm with a giggle.

Where had she heard that?

---------

The two met Soubi outside of the school standing in his usual spot.

"I'll be going now, bye you guys." Yuiko said, turning to leave.

"Yuiko." Soubi said cooly.

She stopped, "What is it, Soubi-san?" She inquired, tilting her head.

"I wonder if you'd like to come over to the apartment with Ritsuka and I." The man not so much asked, as stated.

Ritsuka looked up at the man, confusion on his face.

The girl's face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. "That would be wonderful, but I can't stay too late."

"Of course." Soubi said, as they walked.

---------------------------

The three walked into the apartment.

Yuiko looked around the room. "This place is so cool." She breathed, taking in the paintings scattered about. One in particular caught her eye.

It was a blue butterfly, being carried by a breeze over a field of lovely violets.

Ritsuka took advantage of the distraction. "Soubi, can I talk to you for a second?" There was a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

"Of course Ritsuka. Yuiko could you excuse us for a moment?" She nodded.

Ritsuka closed the door behind them as they entered the room that they shared. He turned to the older man. "Soubi, why did you invite Yuiko over here?"

"Why?"

"You must have some reason." The boy persisted.

"No, I just thought that since she's always stuck in her house alone for a few hours before her parents come home, that perhaps she might want to spend some time with friends. I'll happily cook dinner for us all."

The sacrifice scowled at him.

----------------

Youji stuck his head out of Kio's room.

The older man hadn't come home that night so that gave he and Natsuo some more time alone than they'd expected. After Soubi yelled at them, that is.

"Loveless brought home a girl." He said quietly into the room. "Well then, let's go get acquainted with her." Natsuo said with a glint in his eye as he pushed him out the door.

Yuiko looked up as she saw the two boys walk into the room. They walked over and sat on either side of the pink-haired girl.

"Pretty cute, isn't she?" The sacrifice asked.

The fighter nodded in reply. "How old are you?" He asked. "Umm...twelve." She replied nervously. They were sitting very close to her.

"What a coincidence, so are we, Loveless too." The burgundy-haired boy said.

Youji poked the side of her breast. "You're breasts are huge, are you sure you're in elementary school?"

"Hey, are you Loveless' woman?" The other asked. "Who?"

The two grinned and Natsuo shook his head, "Rit-su-ka." He said, deliberately emphasizing each syllable.

She blushed. "Umm...I..."

---------------

In their room, somehow Ritsuka had lost all semblance of authority and was now being backed into a corner by his, much taller and stronger fighter.

"Sou- Soubi...Yuiko is just out in the living room what if sh-" He was cut off by Yuiko screaming his name.

---------------

They burst through the door and saw Yuiko in-between the boys of Zero. When the three looked up, Soubi glared at the other fighter-sacrifice combo.

Yuiko ran to Ritsuka's side. "Ritsuka-kun, they were being mean and really weird." She whined.

"Tell me that you boys weren't dumb enough to do anything to this girl." Soubi stated, a warning tone to his voice.

"Of course not." They replied in unison, feigning innocence.

"Apologize for causing her distress." The man stated sternly, folding his arms.

"Sorry." Natsuo said. "Yeah, sorry...but it's her fault flaunting those things at her age." The sacrifice mumbled the last part.

"Where were you guys anyway?" Ritsuka asked. "We didn't see you when we got here."

The pair snickered, but didn't answer.

Soubi glanced at them, he could guess what they had been doing. How had they managed to retain their ears with all that they did? "Well then, Yuiko-chan, how about I introduce you to these two miscreants? This is Natsuo and Youji." He gestured to them in turn.

"I guess I'll get started on dinner, you kids should really eat better anyway." He walked into the kitchen and began to take out items with which to make a meal.

"So _Ritsuka_..." Youji began teasingly. "...is this girl your woman?"

"If you tell us we might not...get to know her better." Natsuo said with a smirk, twirling the bottom of one of Yuiko's pink pig-tails.

"No, Yuiko is not." He replied taking her hand and leading her back to the couch, making sure to seat her at the end.

The girl's heart felt a twinge of sadness at his words. She wished that she _could_ be his girlfriend...

"It's an easy mistake to make the way that you're keeping her all to yourself. I wonder...is your fighter jealous?"

Ritsuka's cheeks turned a slightly rosier shade.

Soubi smiled to himself as he heard the object of his affection stumbling over his words as he searched for an appropriate answer.

_Things are definitely interesting having those two here..._

Yuiko only added to the fun because Ritsuka had to be cautious of what he said with her around (although Youji and Natsuo didn't seem to care the way that they called him Loveless and spoke of fighters and the like.)

He thought that he'd end the torment for at least a little while. "Dinner is almost ready, you four should go and wash up."

"_Should_ but..." Youji started, a smart tone to his voice. He stopped himself when Soubi turned and locked his blue eyes with green ones. The boy grabbed his fighter's hand and dragged him into the bathroom.

The older fighter knew that it wasn't the best idea to leave them alone, but it got them out of his hair for a while. Over the past few months, he had come to find that certain things could get those boys to do anything he asked, namely threats, especially ones that involved grabbing them by their tails and leaving them at the Septuple Moons .

No, they didn't particularly care for that one at all.

"So, you live here now?" Yuiko asked, surprise evident in her voice. "Yeah."

"What's it like? I mean, doesn't Soubi have a roommate too?"

"You mean Kio? Well, he's okay, a little weird, but he's almost never here. It's nice here, Soubi cooks for me even if I tell him not to." Ritsuka said with a laugh. "...He takes care of me."

Surprisingly, the Zero boys came out of the bathroom a little while later. Albeit their hair was a bit more messed up than it had been, Soubi noticed.

"Come and sit everyone." He said, pulling out a chair. "Yuiko-chan, you sit here."

They sat down at the small table and Soubi brought out dinner. The meal consisted of: steamed carrots and curry.

"So Yuiko, what time do you have to be home by?" Soubi asked. "5:30, any later and my parents will think that I've been kidnaped." She answered with a smile.

_Good, the boys won't be able to do anything particularly mischievous in that short amount of time...hopefully..._

Zero flashed each other smiles. "We'd be happy to walk you home Yuiko-chan." Natsuo said innocently.

The girl, as naive as she is, nodded. She had already forgiven them for freaking her out just a little while before.

"Thanks that would be very helpful. It's really not too far from here." She said, taking a bite of carrot."Soubi-san this is really delicious."

Soubi shook his head. Sometimes he worried about that girl...

He glanced across the table at Ritsuka. The boy was busy dodging suggestive glances from the other boys that it took him a second to notice. He looked up and seeing blue eyes gazing at him in such a way brought a blush to his cheeks, he smiled at the man.

Soubi smiled inside, all was well. Ritsuka and he had made up, they were enjoying a lovely dinner together (though, there were a few other people there) and he, once again was graced with that enchanting smile he loved.

Yuiko's voice caused him to come back to reality. Ritsuka broke their gaze and, for a moment, wished that pink-haired girl wasn't there...

Where had that come from?

He had felt his heart speed up when his eyes locked with the older man's he couldn't help but smile. Soubi had always had a way of awakening confusing feelings in him...

"So, Ritsuka-kun, what subject are you going to do your science project on?" Project?...oh yes, the one that their teacher had mentioned today. Now what was it supposed to be about?

"You two have a project? What's it about?" Soubi asked. He wasn't really interested but, just wanted to know more about his sacrifice's school life.

"Oh, it's about animals!" She said with glee, causing the man to innerly cringe. "We have to research any animal that we choose and make a report about where it lives, what kind of food it eats..."

Natsuo furrowed his brows.

_Jeez, this girl is way too happy, at least we can have some fun with her when we walk her home. I'm bored...I know..._

Natsuo began to twirl his hair 'supposedly' absent-mindedly. He knew what he was doing.

Youji watched his fighter twirl his hair. To anyone else, it just looked like he was bored, but to him, it was torture. The way that he sighed, the light pink color in his cheeks, how he twirled his burgundy hair around his finger...

The green-eyed boy began to shift in his seat.

Out of the corner of his eye, his fighter saw this, it was just the reaction he was hoping for. He licked his lips, his tail swishing behind him.

Ritsuka was looking at, and then quickly away from Soubi, as confused as ever about the butterflies in his stomach. Likewise Soubi was looking at Ritsuka, his gaze unfleeting. He was thinking, of course about his young sacrifice, not the reaction he was causing in him but, many questions that were flowing through his mind and Yuiko was...Yuiko.

The pink-haired girl dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin and looked at her watch. "Oh, I have to go." She announced.

"Well then, if everyone is finished, I'll take the dishes." Soubi said, standing up.

"I'll help." Yuiko said, standing as well.

"Nonsense, guests needn't help clean up. You've already given us the pleasure of your company." The older man said warmly, placing a plate in the kitchen sink.

Yuiko smiled brightly, "See you tomorrow, Ritsuka-kun. Thank you very much for having me Agatsuma-san."

Ritsuka waved as she walked out the door with the Zero boys. He picked up his plate and joined Soubi in the kitchen. "Do you think that she'll be alright?" He asked worriedly.

"...Don't worry, Ritsuka, the boys wouldn't do anything too bad to her." He hoped...

Soubi placed a reassuring hand on the dark-haired boy's arm. After a moment, Ritsuka turned. "I-I'm kind of tired, if you don't need any help here, I'll go to bed."

"I'm fine, I'll get Natsuo and Youji to finish up when they get back."

-----------------------------

Giggling, the boys opened the door and walked into the apartment, their hands intertwined.

"You two are home awfully late, you did leave about...two hours ago." The flaxen-haired fighter said from the couch, placing his cigarette in an ashtray.

"We didn't do anything to her, if that's what you mean." Youji stated. "Yeah, we dropped her off, just like we said we would..." The younger fighter said.

Soubi arched an eyebrow.

"...and then we played in the park." He finished with a smile.

"It's a bit late to be playing, don't you think?"

The boys just looked at each other and giggled. "We're staying in Kio's room tonight, if that's okay." The mint-green haired boy said. The older fighter just leaned back on the couch.

The boys took this as a 'yes' and left the room.

He didn't care what they did, as long as he didn't hear any of it. Right now, he was just happy to have some time to think without any distractions.

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Yay, another chapter out of the way. I hope you liked it.

Please review!


	8. Inspiration

I have to say, things get more cute in this chapter. I'm not really sure if all of you will like that though...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless...WHY!

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**Chapter 8**

Ritsuka laughed at what he came upon when he walked out into the living room.

There was Soubi, lying on the couch. He was on his stomach, his head was resting in the corner formed where the armrest and the back came together, his left foot was touching the floor, his left leg bent and tucked under the right one, both of his arms were underneath his chest. It was...an odd pose, one that didn't particularly suit the man.

Ritsuka felt the sudden urge to walk over and lay on him. He shook his head at the notion. He had to go to school.

...What if he didn't though?

_No, why do I keep thinking like this?..._

The man's flaxen hair covered his face. It would be nice to see his sleeping face, every other time he'd woken up, Soubi was already up and making breakfast and he'd slept the best he had for a while in the time that he'd been living here.

_Maybe...just a peek..._

He quietly walked up to and leaned over Soubi. Reaching out a small hand, he gently touched the soft hair.

It _was_ very soft...

Slowly, he stroked back the silky hair, revealing a surprisingly peaceful, beautiful face. Usually he had that indifferent look that acted as a shield for his emotions, or a false smile and lately, his eyebrows had often been knit together in a look of concern...but now, there was no trace of any of that, none of the lies.

Ristuka liked this look very much. He leaned closer.

"Soubi...stop lying to me..." He whispered. "Please..." Closing his eyes, his is peach lips gently brushed against the pale skin of his fighter's cheek.

_What was that?..._

Soubi's eyes fluttered open just as Ritsuka sat up and stood.

Had he dreamt it? He was sure that he'd felt something, but was it a kiss? It would be disgraceful if another team had seen him sleeping like that, he hadn't even been aware of his young charge's presence.

"Ritsuka, good morning." The cat-eared boy turned. "Morning."

"I'm so sorry for sleeping late. I must have been very tired." The man said sitting up with that plastic smile.

Ritsuka watched him.

_There it is again, why does he hide from me?..._

The sacrifice turned, "I'll make my own lunch." He stated softly and walked into the kitchen.

Soubi blinked.

What could be bothering his young charge? In times like these, he had to think about the best way to approach the matter, he didn't want to anger the boy but, it seemed somewhat inevitable.

He sighed and got up from the couch. One thing was for sure, he had to do whatever he could to make his Ritsuka happy.

He walked up to his sacrifice, gently lifted his small hand and kissed the back of it. "What's the matter?"

Ritsuka wasn't in the mood to play his game today. He pulled his hand away and threw a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich into a brown paper bag. It wasn't a very good lunch, surely one that Soubi would never make for him.

"I'm going to school." He said, without even so much as glancing at the man. He couldn't stand to see that fake smile that he knew he'd receive.

"Hey, I'll see you later." Soubi said, grabbing his slender arm in an attempt at getting at least an angry glare, he just wanted Ritsuka to act like he wasn't invisible.

The boy looked up and in the brief moment before he turned and rushed out the door, Soubi saw a deep sorrow in those violet eyes.

A slender finger tucked flaxen hair behind a pale ear.

What could possibly be the matter? He didn't recall doing anything wrong yesterday, he had even put up with Yuiko's constant bubbliness that, at times, was terribly irritating and Ritsuka seemed to have been quite content. It surely couldn't have happened when he was asleep, it's not as though he were a sleep-walker or something.

So...what?

He always seemed to do something wrong and bother his young sacrifice, but it usually led to him being mad at the older man, that he could deal with though. This time was different. The thing that he hated most was seeing such sorrow in the eyes of the one he loved most and he had to make it go away.

_What, indeed..._

----------------------------

"Ritsuka." Shinonome sensei called, removing him from his thoughts.

He looked up at her. "Would you like to read your poem out loud?"

"I-I really haven't written much..." He said, uncertainly.

"You have quite a bit there."

"It's not done."

"That's alright, you only had half a period to write it." The woman persisted.

"It's really bad..."

"Well, we'll judge that for ourselves." She said, looking at him expectantly.

The dark-haired boy sighed, he had tried everything short of yelling at the woman. Reluctantly he stood. He just hoped that no one would guess who it was about...

"_You_

_With the bottomless eyes _

_That lie_

_And conceal secrets_

_You_

_With the plastic smile_

_Like a girl's doll_

_Mocking, laughing_

_You _

_With the reassurances_

_Of happiness _

_And truth_

_You _

_With the knowledge _

_That I so desperately seek,_

_Not a peek_

_You_

_With the untold fears _

_Pretending nothing, nothing_

_Even scares, even hurts_

_You _

_With that impenetrable wall_

_No one ever let in,_

_Let through_

_You_

_With the whispers _

_Of lies and truth and death_

_Eternity and misery and love_

_You _

_With the key to everything_

_That is you_

_Held so tight _

_I'd think that it had disappeared._"

He finished, he had been so wrapped up in the poem that he hadn't realized most of the class was staring at him with looks of...what? Confusion? Hatred? Approval

"That was wonderful, Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko finally said, beaming. The teacher nodded, "You have a real talent for this." The rest of the class applauded.

He blushed and sat down, avoiding the stares of his classmates as the brown-haired woman walked back to the front of the room.

The sacrifice put his head down on his desk and sighed.

_Soubi..._

---------------------_-----------_

"Sou-chaaan." Kio whined from his seat on the couch. He tilted his head, his many earrings glinting in the sunlight coming through the window.

Soubi merely ignored him and brushed another dab of paint onto the canvas in front of him. The blond poked him in the shoulder. "You never pay any attention to me..."

"Kio, as I recall, you haven't been around much since Ritsuka moved in. Now, leave me be, I have to finish this."

"It wouldn't be such a big deal if you'd been completing your assignments." The other stated with a pout.

He was right, Soubi had been neglecting his work. Ritsuka was just too important right now. That fact was obvious, he had been working on this painting for hours and he had only painted a single lily and a partial sky and sadly, they weren't his best work.

He just couldn't get the little cat-boy out of his head...not that he ever could. It was just that...

He sighed and set down his paints.

The other watched in disbelief. "What! You can't stop now, this is due tomorrow!"

"It doesn't matter, I can't focus...anyway, I've got to go pick up Ritsuka. I just had a great idea of how to cheer him up." Soubi said, standing. "Can't he walk by himself? I'm sure he's done it before." Kio said.

The flaxen-haired man turned and walked out the door without another word. Kio heaved a heavy sigh and collapsed onto the couch.

"Pervert."

-------------------------------------

Ritsuka looked out the large windows of the school at the front gate. Of course, as usual, there he was, waiting for him.

The cat-eared boy sighed, he couldn't exactly avoid him for long.

----------

Soubi looked up as his sacrifice approached him, he smiled. Ritsuka didn't look up. "Come, I think I know a way to cheer you up." The older man said, holding out a hand, Ritsuka regarded it for a moment.

_I wonder what he plans on doing?..._

He walked past Soubi.

The older man shook his head and followed the dark-haired boy.

---------------

Soubi brought out a large canvas and set it in front of Ritsuka.

"It's blank." Ritsuka said, stating the obvious.

"I know..." the fighter said, sitting down next to his charge, "...I'm going to paint something for you." He said, putting his arms around the boy, his pony tail falling over his shoulder.

Violet eyes lit up and Ritsuka turned, "Really?" Soubi nodded. "Whatever you like."

Ritsuka had to admit, he had already lived with Soubi for a number of days but, he had yet to see him paint. As for what to paint, he didn't really care what the man painted, he was sure it would be amazing, he'd seen some of his other work.

"I don't know...just paint whatever."

Soubi nodded, and set down the canvas. He wouldn't paint a butterfly as usual, no, Ritsuka was too good for that.

He turned and lightly grasped the boy's face. Ritsuka involuntarily gasped. Soubi's face came close to his, his eyes searching.

"W-what are you-" Ritsuka began, but the man moved forward and kissed him.

"I have the perfect idea." He said as he quickly broke the kiss and turned back to his paints and began to open and mix them.

Ritsuka blinked and when he regained his composure, he watched Soubi. Beautiful colors were slowly created as the flaxen-haired man mixed the colors. When he finished, he dipped a medium-sized, fanned brush into the paint and began what was sure to be a masterpiece.

A dab of vermillion here, a little crimson there.

Ritsuka watched him flick the brush with a fast stroke and then use slower ones. He smudged it with a finger, his blue eyes intense. This wasn't the sort of determination he had when in a battle, Ritsuka saw. It was different, there was a gleam in his eyes that he had never truly seen.

As the fighter made another brush-stroke, Ritsuka saw a complete change in his expression. He finally saw some emotion on the man's face. He would frown when he made a mistake, fix it and then he seemed to become happier when it turned out right.

While Soubi painted, he thought of Ritsuka, this painting had to be perfect so he poured all he had into it.

_For my Ritsuka..._

He was too focused to realize that he had let the mask slip. He was smiling, a pure, genuine, lovely smile filled with happiness.

Ritsuka grinned.

_That's what I've been waiting for..._

A thin arm wrapped around Soubi from behind. "Ritsuka!" It was a miracle his hand didn't slip ruin the entire thing.

"Thank you." Ritsuka whispered next to his ear.

Soubi's eyes widened and he placed a hand on the boy's right arm. "What's this?" The man questioned, facing the boy. Ritsuka just smiled and let him go. He sat back down and rested his chin on a hand.

Soubi stared at him briefly before furrowing his eyebrows and turning back to his work. He was surprised, he had been thinking so much about how each stroke looked and how it absolutely had to be perfect but...Well, he didn't want to compliment himself, but it was...

"It's amazing." Ritsuka said, taking the words out of his mouth so-to-speak.

In the center was a single lovely red rose. It looked so real that he could imagine the feel of the velvety-softness of it's petals, the sting of the red-tipped thorns on his finger. The bush surrounding filled merely with lush, deep green leaves, the sky was the bluest he'd ever seen with the occasional wispy, white cloud to complete it...simply amazing.

"It's yours." Soubi stated. "What? W-why?"

"Because, I made it for you. I said that thought it might cheer you up."

"But it's so...spectacular, shouldn't you hand it in? Kio mentioned that you had a deadline." Ah, Kio he could always be trusted to say such needless things...

"Not at all, I already have a painting for that." He lied. It was a little white lie, so it was alright. "Besides, it's you." He said matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?"

The fighter chuckled, "I was thinking about you the whole time, the rose represents you."

Ritsuka blinked, "And what about the bush, why aren't there any other roses?"

The man nodded. "That's me. I get to protect you and have you all to myself. Just as there are no other roses, because you're the only one for me."

He didn't explain that the cloud represented the hope that their relationship would last forever and the sky _was_ that happy forever.

Ritsuka found it interesting that a painting could represent so much and have so many feelings behind it. The man had shown such emotion while painting it, so it made sense.

"Is it done?" He asked. Soubi looked at the painting, not a thing could be done to improve it, it was perfect. He nodded.

"Let's go to bed." The dark-haired boy said, standing. The older man stood as well. He couldn't help it, he had to kiss him. He took Ritsuka's chin in his hand and brought their lips together. He wouldn't ruin this by doing anything to anger or upset his sacrifice but, he couldn't stop the words that slipped from his mouth.

"I love you." He said, pulling away. When he caught himself, he paused, bracing for whatever reaction Ritsuka would have. But, nothing happened. Well...the boy did blush in that cute way that he always did but, he didn't yell or anything.

Ritsuka suddenly gasped and ran out of the room. The flaxen-haired man just left standing there.

_Delayed reaction?..._

Just as quickly as he had left, Ritsuka ran back into the room, camera in hand. Soubi laughed.

"Memories." Ritsuka said simply, tilting his head. He snapped a quick picture of the man in front of him.

"Go stand by the painting, Soubi." The man complied. He draped an arm over the top of the canvas, so as not to ruin the painting.

Ritsuka pouted after taking a picture.

"What's wrong?" The fighter asked. "Smile." He answered, quietly. "Alright." Soubi smiled.

"Not like that...like you did when you were painting, like you meant it." Ritsuka said, looking directly into the man's indigo orbs. Liquid began to pool in the violet eyes, promising wretched tears.

Soubi nodded once. He was surprised that he had slipped. Then again, who better to show than this beautiful little boy whom he loved so deeply. So...he smiled. It wasn't too hard, he just thought of what Ritsuka's happiest smile would look like and it made him happy in turn.

Ritsuka took the picture and laughed. Soubi had smiled, not _at_ him, like he did everyone else, but _for_ him. The corners of his lips turned upward into a happy smile.

"Now, let's get to sleep, you have school tomorrow and it's already late." Soubi said, looking at the clock on his cell phone, it read 11:54. He smirked as he got an idea.

"Go on and brush your teeth." He said, taking on a parental tone. Ritsuka chuckled and walked down the hallway.

The flaxen-haired man began typing a message on his phone.

-------

Hearing a ringing, Ritsuka pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

_Soubi..._

He smiled as he read the message: _Kiss me. (For real this time.)_

Some things were good to remember, while others...He lifted the sleeve of his shirt and gazed at the fading scars on his wrists.

_When did it stop?..._

_When did the pain stop?..._

_Even when Soubi came, the pain remained. I've always felt like I didn't belong, how could I? I was a mistake...My own mother hated me for taking her true son away. It was as though if I died, the world would just move on and forget...even him. What did I care? He just lied, always lied._

_When did that change?..._

_When did I start caring?..._

_Soubi makes me feel like I'm not a mistake, like I belong. He's just happy that I'm alive and with him..._

He flipped the phone closed and walked out of the bathroom and into the room he and Soubi shared. Soubi was there, sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked up as his sacrifice entered the room.

"I got your message."

"And?" The man looked up expectantly.

"And..." Ritsuka leaned over and kissed the fighter's cheek. "Goodnight." He said, walking around to the other side of the bed and laying down.

Soubi turned off the light and lay down next to him.

------------------------------------------

"Sou-chan, that's amazing." Kio said looking at the painting. "You should definitely turn that in."

"No way, Kio, it's special."

"Special enough to give up an 'A' for?" His roommate asked.

"Yes."

"But you didn't even finish that other one and your grades have already dropped. What are you supposed to turn in now? What will you do if you fail!" The blonde shouted dramatically.

"I'm not going to fail." Soubi insisted, pushing his glasses up on his nose. Things seemed to be looking up for Ritsuka and himself.

"How do you know?" Kio questioned, folding his arms.

"Because." He replied simply.

_I have the perfect inspiration..._

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Was it too much cuteness? Please review!

P.S.- The poem was pretty random, I just made it up as I went along. (I hope it didn't suck, I quite like my poems...)


	9. Safe

To those of you that thought this ended last chapter: silly people...this is far from over, I have much in mind for this lovely fic. Rest assured, I will give you all fair warning when it's ending.

I know that I'm taking a risk with this chapter but, I think it works.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 9**

Sunlight set the room aglow.

Upon opening, sapphire eyes met violet ones.

Remembering what Ritsuka had said last night, Soubi smiled a genuine smile. It wasn't hard at all, the boy made him so happy that his lips curled up instinctively. This smile could be saved only for Ritsuka, it was the one that he had worn when he had gazed upon the sleeping form of the sweet boy while he was in the hospital.

When the older man smiled, Ritsuka blinked and smiled back, a lovely, broad smile.

_It wasn't a dream..._

Soubi had truly let his feelings shine through.

"It's Sunday." The smaller of the two announced quietly. Soubi brushed a dark hair out of his happy face. "Yes, it is."

Suddenly, sheets seemed to be everywhere as the pre-teen shot out of the bed. After the measures the boy went to, to make sure that no one saw his immaturity and weaknesses...it was refreshing to see such a childish display.

The flaxen-blond lifted a sheet off of his head.

_Now where did he go?..._

He turned over and looked at the clock on the bedside table, it read 1:17. He shook his head, they were lucky it was the weekend. How had he slept for so long? Ritsuka had been watching him when he woke up so, how long had he been awake?

Getting up and heard a noise in the kitchen.

"Ritsuka." He stated when he saw the young man cracking an egg. He let the inside fall into a small bowl.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" The tall man asked.

"I just couldn't, your sleeping face is so..." Ritsuka looked up at the man and blushed, quickly turning away to prepare the meal. "I thought I'd make you breakfast, since you're always making food for me but, I got distracted...Umm, how do you like your eggs?"

Soubi placed wrapped his arms around his sacrifice's thin body. He spoke quietly into his ear, "It's a bit late for breakfast...but, I'll eat them however you wish to make them. Just as long as it makes you happy."

The blush, as usual, deepened and Ritsuka squirmed to get out of the strong arms. It was quite the feat when you had an egg in each hand. Soubi smiled and released the boy.

-----------------

Ritsuka watched him as he finished his last sip of orange juice. "It was delicious, the best lunch I've ever had. Thank you, Ritsuka."

His young sacrifice could tell that he was embellishing it a bit but, he smiled nonetheless. Soubi sighed and stood. He wished that they could just have a nice day to themselves.

"Well, since we've conveniently wasted much of the day away I think it's time to take care of a few things. You need to finish that project of yours and I have a few errands to run."

Ritsuka found himself pouting.

_I don't care about some stupid project..._

"But, I finished that project already." He lied. Soubi took one look at him and knew he was lying.

_So cute..._

"Don't lie to me, I can see right through you. Now, get to work it's due tomorrow isn't it? I'll try to make sure that I'm not gone for too long, only a few hours."

With a quick kiss to the boy's brow, he left.

-----------------

A sigh escaped peach lips. He had finally finished all of his other homework for the weekend. What did his teachers think? That their students were robots or something? He looked around, puzzled for a moment. He had never noticed before but, Soubi didn't own a T.V. He wanted something for background noise while he worked...or a distraction.

_Maybe he has a radio..._

He went into Soubi's room and opened the closet. He had never seen a radio either but, surely there was one around here somewhere.

--------

A tall man stood outside the apartment. He had thought this the opportune time to get acquainted with the boy whom Soubi was so taken with.

A slender hand knocked loudly on the hardwood door.

----

Ritsuka stuck his head out of the closet. He could have sworn that he'd heard a noise. He listened for a little while. Soon, he heard it again, a knocking.

He closed the door and walked out of the room. Looking to the window next to the door, sure enough, he saw a shadow.

Soubi had told him, like a child, never to let anyone into the apartment when someone wasn't there. But he wasn't a little kid, he could tell whether someone was suspicious or not. He knew not to talk to strangers...

While in his thoughts, he hadn't realized that he was turning the doorknob. He opened the door and looked up at the person in front of him.

---------------

_Hmm...what shade of purple did Kio say? _

Soubi sighed as he took both of the tubes of oil paint with him. Why was he doing Kio's shopping for him again? Perhaps because he had stayed out of his and Ritsuka's hair for a while now. He was actually at the apartment very little.

He shrugged, the other man could be very annoying at times but, he was a good friend. The fighter couldn't say that to him though, he would take it as an invitation to sleep with him. Soubi chuckled inwardly at the thought.

He flipped open his phone and looked at the time, digital numbers formed 3:52.

-----------------

Ritsuka was taken aback, the man sitting on the couch looked just like Soubi. Well, not exactly but, he could easily have been his older brother or even father. There was something about him though, that made the young sacrifice uneasy. He poured the man a cup of tea and brought it out to him.

The young sacrifice received a nod in return as the cup was taken from him. Ritsuka sat down across from the man. "Um, what did you say that your name was?"

Theblond pushed his glasses up on his nose.

_The same way that Soubi does..._

"Ritsu." He replied cooly, placing the cup down on the coffee table. "And you are Aoyagi Ritsuka. Also known as Loveless." The word fell from his lips like a curse and, at times, it felt as though it were.

Ritsuka shivered, Ritsu saw.

"How is Soubi? I haven't talked to him in a while. It's not good for one to avoid his sensei."

_Teacher? He's Soubi's teacher?..._

The man locked icyblue eyes with his, moving closer to him. Ritsuka couldn't move.

"Surprising, isn't it? I taught him all he knows and how does he repay me? He doesn't pick up the phone when I call and ignores me completely; how troublesome. Perhaps if I took him back to the school..." He wondered aloud. "Oh well, enough about me, let's talk about you."

In all that time, he had never taken his eyes off of the boy. Ritsu could tell that Ritsuka was scared and smiled inwardly at the thought.

_Perfect..._

He thought it best if he got straight to the point. "Everyone lies to you, you know? Especially Soubi and your precious brother...he did too." His words seemed laced with poison. He then smiled a sickly-sweet smile.

A slender hand shot out and grabbed Ritsuka's wrist painfully tight. The boy gasped and tried to pull free, but to no avail.

Looking at the fading scars on the underside of the thin wrist, the older man 'tsked.' "To blemish something so pure..."

With his free hand, the older of the two reached up and caressed soft, black ears. Leaning forward, he whispered heatedly into his human ear. "Though you would look good without your ears." He moved back but, only a little, just enough to be able to look into violet eyes.

Ritsuka knew now how wrong he had been before. This man was nothing like Soubi. His eyes held no beauty or curiosity, only ice and death.

"I hear that your mother put you in the hospital. It's a terrible thing when a mother doesn't recognize her own son..."

Ristuka breath hitched in his throat.

_How could he?..._

"What's the matter? Did she not love you? Not accept you? Or...just plain _hate_ you?" He whispered cruelly.

Hot tears suddenly trickled down the sacrifice's face. He hadn't even noticed them forming. Ritsuka tried to move but, he was frozen.

"You'll never be strong enough for Soubi. Look at your brother, he was quite strong and even _he_ died. Perhaps you'll end up like him..." The silver-blond haired man mused.

"Soubi doesn't like you, he doesn't need you. Who would want a weak sacrifice like you? You don't even have the same name. He knows that Seimei was the only master he would ever truly care for. You are but a burden to him.He'll leave you eventually..."

Each word dropped like a weight on Ritsuka. Tears continued to stream down his face as he was drawn down into the darkness the words opened up.

Ritsu released his wrist and caressed his cheek, drawing salt water across pale skin. Bringing his left hand back, he struck the dark-haired boy across the face with such force that he fell to the floor. Luckily he hadn't fallen on his broken arm.

Ritsuka barely even felt it. Memories rushed through his mind of when his mother used to hit him. His only goal then had been to get to his room before she could use a heavy object on him or hurt him too badly.

Lying on the floor, he looked up at the man standing above him. The tears hadn't stopped and it felt as though they never would.

Ritsu's knees bent as he crouched next to the quivering body, his gaze unwavering.

The boy turned away, he thought of the only hope he might have. A soft sound escaped his lips, "S-Soubi..."

The man laughed loudly, "Soubi will not save you. No one is here to save you, it's better that way, though. They don't care about you, wouldn't it be better if you were gone so that no one would have to bother themselves with you?"

-----

_We haven't been attacked or challenged by another team for a while. I wonder what _he's_ planning..._

Soubi walked up the stairs to his apartment. He paused, something was amiss...

Suddenly he felt a pain in his chest. Realization hit him, "Ritsuka." He whispered.

-----

Slender, yet strong hands reached down and wrapped around the boy's thin neck.

Brutality wasn't his style but, this was a good solution to many of his problems. None of the teams he had sent hadn't been able to accomplish anything, they were all so incompetent. So, he had decided to take matters into his own hands and, quite literally for that matter. He hadn't expected everything to work out so perfectly though.

Blood rushed to Ritsuka's face, he was beginning to have trouble breathing.

_It's useless, maybe he's right..._

He let his hand slipped from the man's wrist as dizziness crept upon him.

----

Soubi opened the door quickly. He had never expected the scene that was before him. He didn't even have time to think.

Something snapped.

"Ritsuka!" He yelled, startling the two.

Ritsu looked up at him and released his prey. He stepped away, a sly smile playing on his lips.

The boy on the floor gasped as air filled his lungs.

Coughing, Ritsuka turned his head, his vision blurry. The person standing there, he looked like Soubi but...wait- the look in those eyes. It _was_ him.

_Soubi..._

He got up, and ran, albeit a bit wobbly, to the man.

Soubi pushed Ritsuka behind him, his eyes never leaving his former teacher. He wanted very much to throw him against the nearest wall and beat the life out of him but...Ritsuka. He was the top priority and he surely would never let his sacrifice see such a display, let alone from him.

"Get out." He repeated, anger evident in his voice. The same voice that he'd used when he'd saved the boy from his mother.

"My, my Soubi, how rude. What? No hello?"

"Get out right now or I swear..." The fighter threatened, his eyes like daggers. "You'll what? You couldn't hurt me, I _made_ you." Ritsu stated, with an equally menacing glare.

He walked past his former student and stood next to the door, pausing and turned back. "By the way, if you happen to see Zero, either team, tell them that their sensei would _love _to see them."

"If I ever catch you near Ritsuka again, I _will _kill you." Soubi spat.

The other man just smiled. "Well then, until next time Soubi-kun. I hope to see you again soon, Loveless." He walked out the door, closing it behind him.

The flaxen-blond immediately spun around and kneeled in front of his sacrifice. "Ritsuka." He said, a worried edge in his voice.

The tears had stopped, his eyes were red and there were streaks down his face. Anyone could easily tell that he had been crying.

_What did he do to you?..._

He shook the boy gently. "Ritsuka, are you alright?"

No response.

"Ritsuka!" Taking another look at his face, he saw a red mark, showing that he had been hit. Soubi seethed with anger and hatred but, managed to keep these feelings at bay. "Ritsuka, I need you to tell me what happened."

Finally, Ritsuka moved to looked at him. Tears formed once again in his eyes.

_Soubi..._

He leaned forward and hugged the blond's larger form tightly, tears falling down his cheeks. The fighter brushed a hand through dark hair. His charge's pale neck was red and would surely bruise.Reluctantly, he moved the small, shaking body away from his own.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, blue eyes going over every visible inch of skin on his sacrifice.

"He grabbed me..." The boy said quietly, lifting his wrist to show the man before him. Soubi softly stroked the pink skin.

"And hit me...and..."

"What did he say to you?" He asked, now that he could see that there were no serious physical injuries. Although he couldn't say anything about the emotional, Ritsu had a way of messing with people's minds.

Ritsuka's heart pounded.

"_What's the matter? Did she not love you? Not accept you? Or...just plain hate you?"... _

"_Stop calling me mother." She said striking him across the face. "You're not my Ritsuka."..._

He lifted his hands to his ears in an attempt to block out the memory.

"_Everyone lies to you, you know? Especially Soubi and your precious brother...he did too."..._

"_Soubi, what do you know about the SeptimalMoons?" "I cannot tell you."... _

"_Little brother, I'll watch over you forever."..._

He shook his head.

"Ritsuka?"Soubi was even more worried than before.

"_Soubi doesn't like you, he doesn't need you. Who would want a weak sacrifice like you? You don't even have the same name. He knows that Seimei was the only master he would ever truly care for. You are but a burden to him. He'll leave you eventually."..._

"No!" The boy fell to his hands and knees.

"Ritsuka, what's wrong?" Soubi asked, gently placing his hands on slender shoulders.

"No! Don't leave me..." He cried, suddenly looking right at the man.

"I'm not going to leave you." Ritsuka shook his head. "Seimei did and mom..."

Soubi gritted his teeth.

_So that's his game..._

He looked into the boy's violet eyes. "Ritsuka, I am not going to leave you. Do you hear me? Never. Forget what he said, he was just trying to get to you. He was lying to hurt you." The fighter held his love's small face between his hands. "I am not going to leave you, I promise." He said sincerely, pressing his lips to Ritsuka's briefly. "I love you."

He leaned back. "Can you walk?"

Ritsuka looked at him and thought for a moment, then shook his head. He wasn't sure that he could even move.

Soubi nodded and stood. He wrapped his arms around the small boy's body, lifted him and brought him to his chest. Smiling, he took his sacrifice's hand in his. Normally, Ritsuka would have blushed furiously at being carried in such a manner. For now, though, he leaned his head against the older man's warm chest.

He calmed as he listened to the fighter's heartbeat, his own slowing to match it. It was so soft, rhythmic, soothing...

After all that he had been through, it came as no surprise to Soubi that he had fallen asleep. He carried his precious charge to their room and laid him on the bed. Ritsuka was still holding his hand as though, if he let go, the fighter would disappear.

Soubi crawled up onto the bed and lay down beside the sleeping child. That was what he was right now, a fragile child. He was lucky his fighter had come in when he did. Ritsu might have actually killed him if he hadn't.

_It's all my fault, he could have killed him and it's all my fault. Again, I failed him again. And I call myself his protector..._

Sadness filled his blue eyes as he mentally reprimanded himself. Resting his head on Ritsuka's small should, he looked out the window at the orange and pink sky that signaled the setting sun.

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Hope you liked it! Evil Ritsu...and just when things were looking up. I am so terrible.

Please review!


	10. Never

Wow, is it chapter 10 already? Honestly, I didn't know how long I intended to make this fic (still don't) I'm proud of myself thus far, though.

**Disclaimer: **I _still_ don't own Loveless or the game 'Twister.'

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**Chapter 10**

Yuiko walked up the stairs and sighed. What could be the cause of Ritsuka's absence from school? She shifted the papers in her hand.

_Ritsuka-kun..._

Lifting a finger, she rang the doorbell.

From inside the apartment, she could hear voices and leaned against the door to hear what the people were saying.

"Hey get off of me! Didn't you hear the-" It was Soubi's roommate, Kio, if she wasn't mistaken.

There was a giggle.

"You little...Hey! Don't touch those!" Another giggle. "You shouldn't have left them out in the first place." A younger voice said.

That was one of those weird boys.

"I'm an art student! That's what I-" "Shouldn't you be getting the door?" Another arrogant sounding younger voice asked, cutting him off.

Yuiko moved away from the door as she heard footsteps. Kio opened the door and looked down at her.

"Hey." He greeted, although it really wasn't much of a greeting. He twirled a lollipop in his mouth. "You're Ritsuka's little girlfriend, right?"

The teal-eyed girl blushed a little. "Umm...is Ritsuka-kun here?" She asked.

"Soubi says he's sick." The blond replied simply.

She nodded slowly, "Well then, could you please give this to him, it's his homework and some notes that I copied for him." She handed him the papers and quickly walked down the stairs, her pink pigtails flowing behind her.

----

_Why is everyone always so secretive? I hope Ritsuka-kun is alright. Cheer up, Yuiko, he's probably got a little cold and he'll be back to school in no time..._

As much as she tried to cheer herself up, the truth was that she was worried about the boy. He was always sick or hurt. What had he done to deserve such things?

-------

Kio watched after her for a little bit and then shut the door. When he turned around, he nearly tripped over the Zero boys.

"Hey!" He shouted, stumbling.

"Was that Yuiko-chan?" Natsuo asked. The blond nodded.

_Oh yeah, that's her name..._

"I like her, she's cute." The young fighter commented.

Youji elbowed him. "You think everything's cute." He said with a pout. "Youji is the cutest of all though." Came the reply.

They smiled at each other.

Kio could throw up. "Get a room." He said, annoyed and walked past them to sit on the couch.

"Why would we need to when we have yours?" The boys giggled, their hands intertwining as they sat in on the floor in front of him.

The indigo-eyed man looked up, pointing his lollipop at the team. "Why do you two still have your ears?" He asked suddenly.

"We're children." Natsuo replied, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, but you two are always doing...I don't want to know what. How have you managed to keep them for so long?"

"We need to keep up appearances." Youji said. "Yes, we need to stay as cute as possible. How else would we always get what we want?" Natsuo asked with a smirk.

Kio was confused and a bit freaked out by this.

Youji took the lollipop from the older man's hand. "What if we wanted you, Kio?" He asked mischievously, licking it.

Natsuo giggled and ran a hand through his sacrifice's mint-green locks. "You're so silly." He said, playfully taking hold of the other boy's wrist

"Why are you two always getting hurt?" The Kio asked.

Zero looked at him inquisitively. He gestured to Youji's pale arm.

The burgundy-eyed boy regarded a rather shallow cut on his forearm with a sort of bored fascination. "Maybe I got it when we were chopping things up earlier."

Natsuo looked at him.

_Chopping things?..._

"Shouldn't you at least put a bandage on it?" Kio asked. "Why? It's not deep." The boy retorted.

The blond gave up and shook his head, those two were just so odd. "Whatever..."

"Let's go bandage that up." Natsuo said, rising and held out a hand to help the other boy stand.

Kio watched them leave the room. "Little perverts."

"We heard that!" Natsuo said from down the hall. "Kio, you're the most perverted person around." Youji said with a laugh.

Kio sighed and looked around, paints were everywhere and Soubi would kill him if he didn't get them cleaned up.

--------

Soubi placed a hand on his sacrifice's small back. "It's important that I know what he said to you."

The fighter had waited until now to ask about it, Ritsuka had been near hysterics the day before and he didn't want to risk making him feel so terrible again. He had even insisted that he stay home from school.

The younger of the two nodded. He could hear the man's words echo in his head.

"_What's the matter? Did she not love _you_? Not accept you? Or...just plain _hate_ you?"..._

His mother had done many of the same things that Ritsu had the day before. He couldn't count the many times she'd attempted to strangle him, especially when he was cornered.In fact, the whole scenario was somewhat reminiscent of 'the incident' that began his stay with Soubi.

"_Everyone lies to you, you know? Especially Soubi and your precious brother...he did too."..._

"_Soubi doesn't like you, he doesn't need you. Who would want a weak sacrifice like you? You don't even have the same name. He knows that Seimei was the only master he would ever truly care for. You are but a burden to him. He'll leave you eventually."..._

"He knew about my mother..." Ritsuka said slowly. "...how she felt about me, the hospital, everything."

Soubi clenched his fist at his side. So, he had been watching him, but for how long? Suppressing his anger, he nodded, signaling for his young charge to continue.

The dark-haired boy hesitated for a moment, licking his pale lips. "He said that you and Seimei lied to me. And that we're not meant to be together as fighter and sacrifice or...anything...and that you'll eventually leave me..."

He bit his lip as it began to tremble, he had cried enough for now. The taller man squeezed his small shoulder.

"Ritsuka, you can't believe anything that he said to you. Are you listening to me?" Downcast eyes rose and met sapphire ones. "He plays mind games with people. It's all lies."

"But he knew about my mom..." "He must have been watching you. Believe me, he's a bad person. I'm so sorry that I got you dragged into this, it's all my fault."

The younger boy was puzzled, "He said he was your teacher, that he taught you everything you

know. Was he from the Septimal Moons?"

------------

Once the door to the bathroom was closed, Natsuo spun around to face his sacrifice. "I don't remember chopping anything earlier. What happened?"

Youji knew that he should have seen this coming.

_Crap..._

"Nothing, I was just fooling around and the knife slipped. It's no big deal."

"Don't lie to me." His fighter said, pain suddenly in his eyes. He sat on the edge of the porcelain-white bathtub.

"I'm sorry Natsuo...You're right, I lied. I was curious and you were playing with Kio so, I thought I'd try it. We've done it before."

"Then why did you keep it from me? What if you had cut too deep, or hit a vein?" The wavy-haired boy asked, his voice rising.

"You guys were close by, I would have noticed and gotten you...why are you so mad?"

"What if you hadn't noticed? What if something bad had happened? When we experimented before we always did it together and never at the same time. It was a safety precaution. You know that because of our inability to feel pain, we could easily neglect a fatal wound." He slowly stood. "We're supposed to do everything together, be as one, tell each other everything."

"Why are you making such a big deal about this!" The straight-haired sacrifice asked.

"Because it is!" Natsuo shouted, slamming Youji against the door.

----

Kio looked up, briefly thinking about going to check on the two but, decided against it and went back to the book on Japanese fine art.

It made no sense to him at all.

----

It didn't hurt...not physically at least. The sacrifice looked up at the other boy in shock. By the look on his face, he was equally as shocked by his own actions. Tears formed in Natsuo's mint-green eye. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I...how...?" He said, looking down at his bandaged hands.

Youji rushed into his arms. "It's alright, it's my own fault. I knew that I shouldn't have done it but..." He shook his head. "So stupid...I'll never do anything like that again, I swear."

His fighter leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Moving barely a centimeter away, he smiled against the other boy's lips. "Be sure that you don't, or else I'll have to punish you."

Youji returned the smile and kissed him back with fervor. The kiss left the two gasping for air when they finally pulled apart. The mint-green haired boy laughed, "I thought punishment was my job."

Moving apart but, refusing to separate completely, they linked their fingers together. "Now, let's

get those bandages on you." The burgundy-haired boy stated.

"It might be kind of hard without two hands." The sacrifice said, holding up their hands. "Well then, it's a good thing we have two between us." Natsuo replied with a laugh.

----------

Soubi nodded. "He was my teacher, he was the one who taught me to be a fighter."

Ritsuka looked up, obviously surprised by this. He had never put much thought into it but, someone must have taught Soubi, it was logical. Still...it was _Soubi_, he just sort of thought that he knew how to be a fighter from the start.

It was a childish notion, he knew but still...

"So...what, did you go to classes and he was the teacher?"

"Not exactly." The older man thought about how to explain it best without revealing too much about the school, or his past. "He taught me that I must always do as my master commands as well as how to endure pain."

The short-haired boy furrowed his brows. "What do you mean when you say that he taught you how to endure pain?"

The taller of the two suddenly stood. "You need your rest, I think it's about time for dinner." Without another word, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Walking down the hall, he heard Zero in the bathroom.

----

"Come here, let me help you with that."

"That feels good." Youji purred.

Natsuo giggled.

They were having quite the a time wrapping up the sacrifice's arm with one of each of their hands.

The fighter dropped the bundle of bandages. It resembled the game 'Twister' as he crawled

under his partner, their hands never losing grip.

If anyone else had come across the scene, it would have been quite the spectacle. "What are you doing?" Youji questioned laughing, his tail swished back and forth.

"I'm just trying to reach it, but it rolled next to the toilet." The wavy-haired boy answered from underneath him.

"Idiot." Commented his sacrifice.

"Oh really?" Natsuo grabbed the other boy's ankle and pulled. "Wh-" Youji fell over top of his sacrifice's legs and hit his head on the tiled floor.

----

Laughter emanated from the room as Soubi walked down the hallway. Kio looked up as he entered the room. "Kio, what are they doing in there?"

The other man shrugged. "I saw a cut on Youji's arm and they went to bandage it up...supposedly. They've been in there for a while and I know better than to check on them." He glanced at the papers next to him.

"Oh yeah, that girl, umm...Yuiko-chan stopped by to give these to Ritsuka." The shorter-haired man said, sitting up and passing the papers to his roommate.

Soubi put them down on the coffee table.

"She cares about him a lot, you sure you're not jealous?" Kio asked, adjusting his glasses.

Soubi scoffed at him and replied cooly, "I've nothing to be jealous about, she just has a simple schoolgirl crush. Ritsuka is either oblivious or politely dodges her advances. She is, however, a good friend to him and I respect that."

----------

Ritsuka leaned back against some pillows.

_There he goes again...avoiding my questions, hiding things..._

He sighed.

_What am I doing? One day he just showed up, walked into my life. I tried to push him out and he just kept coming back. No matter what I said, how many times I yelled and told him that I hated him, he stayed...Always watching over me, protecting me..._

He looked around the room, Soubi's room.

_He saved me from my own mother, watched over me while I was in the hospital and took me home with him. He takes care of me like Seimei used to. Sure, a lot of the time he makes advances but..._

He laughed at himself.

_Look at me, I was almost killed yesterday and I'm thinking about -what am I thinking about?..._

He wasn't able to finish analyzing himself because Zero barged in. They had finished their...business in the bathroom and thought that they'd check up on their favorite 'roommate.'

"Watcha doing?" Youji asked playfully.

The boy addressed looked up at them and sighed. Soubi hadn't told them about his 'encounter' yesterday but, he thought that they should know since they had been mentioned.

"Yesterday -" He began. "Aha! I knew something happened." The green-eyed boy stated with a grin.

Natsuo elbowed him. "Let him finish." He said, with a look at his sacrifice. "Soubi seems real tense and you have bandages all over the place on your cheek covering injuries that I _know_ didn't come from him. What happened? " He asked, Ritsuka was surprised that he was acting mature for once.

Youji got the hint and sat down next to the dark-haired boy. "Did you get attacked or something?"

_You could say that..._

Ritsuka wasn't sure what to say. "Someone came...from the school, your school. Ritsu, he said that he was Soubi's teacher and he tried to kill me. He also had a message for you two and the other Zero...that your teacher wants to see you."

He watched as the other two boys paled at this statement. Absently, Natsuo took hold of his sacrifice's hand. They looked at each other, fear in their eyes. "If he knows where we are, then Nagisa-sensei might too..."

"Natsuo, what if she sends someone after us?" Youji cried fearfully. The burgundy-haired boy sat down and wrapped his arms around the other. "We'll fight or run, whichever ensures that we'll be able to stay together. We can't go back there."

Ritsuka knew they were close, probably about as close as a team could get. It was odd though, seeing them like this, considering how they usually were.

"I don't think that you guys have anything to worry about. Soubi wouldn't let them take you." Ritsuka assured the other boys.

"That's right." Soubi said suddenly from the doorway. "I've grown quite fond of the two of you. Believe me, anyone from the school will have to go through me to even get close to any of you."

"Oh Soubi, we knew you cared." The younger fighter said, hugging him around the middle.

Kio, who had been going to his room stopped and 'tsked'. "And you say that you're not a pervert. You've recruited more children for your disturbed erotic fantasies."

Ritsuka blushed at the terms he used.

"Shut up Kio."

"Love you too, Sou-chan."

-----------------------------------------------

Yay! I hope you liked it.

P.S.- I know that, in the manga, stuff happens that is contrary to what I wrote but, I read the mangas after I wrote this and I won't change it. I laughed at how similar a lot of things in my other chapters were to the manga.

Reviews are awesome and keep the authoress happy and writing.


	11. Mom

Thank you for the millionth time to all of my devoted fans for all of your amazing reviews and encouragement. You give me such an ego about this fic. Just look at all of the reviews I already have, you guys are awesome!

**Disclaimer:** And remember, I don't own Loveless. (I also don't own Jell-O, please don't get any high expectations about that though, nothing happens with Jell-O.)

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**Chapter 11**

Ritsuka had insisted that he go to school today. Soubi wouldn't have it, but the boy was persistent and told him that it was for the good of his grades. The truth was that he really needed to get out of the apartment. It was odd around his fighter lately and the Zero boys were...well, they were themselves it was just that, being around them all day was a bit disturbing.

He had finished all of his homework the night before in an attempt to block out the constant onslaught of thoughts about his mother, brother, Soubi and Ritsu.

_Sometimes you just have to be firm with Soubi..._

Those sometimes though, were rare and usually didn't work.

He lay on his stomach on Soubi's bed. The fighter had won in the end, although _he_ still had to go to classes, leaving the three elementary-schoolers alone.

In what way was this a good idea? Surely if Natsuo and Youji wished to actually _do_ something to him, without anyone there to stop them, they could.

Of course, Ritsuka wasn't scared of the other boys, just...cautious.

Luckily, the two mischievous cat-boys were off somewhere else in the house doing _something_. He didn't really care, as long as they didn't attempt to molest him.

-----------

"Youji, stop pulling my hair." The burgundy-haired boy whined from his seat on the floor in front of the couch.

"Was I? I hadn't even noticed." The other boy said innocently, letting the few strands fall out of his hand, catching them in mid-air.

Natsuo turned and glared.

The other boy laughed. "I can't help it, Natsuo's hair is so pretty." He stated, wrapping the hairs around his finger.

The fighter looked him. "What are you doing?" He questioned, gesturing to his sacrifice's finger. "I'm just playing." The burgundy-eyed boy answered.

Natsuo briefly thought about grabbing the other boy by the shoulders and flipping him over his head. He couldn't do that though, he might break the coffee table.

He settled for pulling on Youji's arm, causing the boy to fall off of the couch and onto the floor next to him.

His sacrifice growled, Natsuo laughed and tousled his green hair. Craving revenge, Youji pulled on his fighter's shirt collar and brought their lips together in a crushing kiss. The other boy moaned, moving to get a better angle.

"Isn't it a little early for that?" Ritsuka's voice came from across the room.

That didn't stop Zero though, they continued kissing, tongue's joining in the equation. The dark-haired boy tilted his head, watching with a sort of fascination. Didn't they have to breathe? It was obvious that they'd had lots of practice.

The two finally broke free for air. Youji licked his lips and looked up at his partner. "Did you eat any candy today?"

"Only one of Kio's lollipops." The other replied. Ritsuka tried his best not to listen."Hey Ritsuka, wanna taste?" Natsuo questioned with a wink. The dark-haired boy blushed and walked into the kitchen.

The other sacrifice punched his fighter in the arm. "What? It was just a question, how can I resist? He's so cute." He smiled. "Besides, he has Soubi to teach him that stuff."

In the kitchen, the dark-haired boy's cheeks were now as red as...well, they were pretty red. He was just glad that his own fighter wasn't here, he might have done as they said.

"Why aren't you at school anyway?" Natsuo asked from the other room. "Soubi...made me stay." The other boys giggled.

Ritsuka walked out of the kitchen, a cup of apple juice in his hand. He sat down on the couch, Zero followed, sitting on either side of him.

The violet-eyed boy took a sip.

Youji licked the side of his face.

Ritsuka nearly choked on the fruit juice. "What the-"

Natsuo reached over and pinched his partner. "I was only hitting on him." He stated, outraged. "And I only licked him." The other replied matter-of-factly.

The green haired boy smiled at the other sacrifice. "You taste good, like...salty, but sort of sweet." "Stop that! I don't really care what I taste like." Ritsuka yelled, his cheeks becoming pink again.

-----------

Soubi sighed, writing down another trivial answer on his paper. He had wanted to stay home with Ritsuka, but unfortunately Kio had reminded him that they had an important test today that he couldn't miss.

So, he had joined his friend in class today, although he'd much rather be at home with his young sacrifice. He had an odd feeling about leaving him alone with the Zero boys all day.

-----------

Frustrated, Ristuka stood and walked to the door. "I'm going out."

"Soubi won't like that very much." The straight-haired boy commented smartly.

"Soubi said not to go to school, he never said I couldn't leave the house. I need to get out of here, so I'm going for a walk." Ritsuka replied.

Natsuo arched an eyebrow. "Where?" He asked.

"I don't know...wherever I end up." The dark-haired boy replied with a sigh as he left.

---------

After walking for what seemed (and may very well have been) a few hours. Ritsuka found himself in the park.

_Typical..._

This was a place that he couldn't forget. It was where Soubi first kissed him, where they'd had their first spell battle against Breathless...it all felt like so long ago. In fact, many thing felt like they happened too long ago. His brother's death as well as other things...

_Mom..._

It was hard to believe that he hadn't seen her in over a month now; that everything had happened. He glanced down at his cast, the constant reminder of just how much he wasn't 'Ritsuka' to her.

He sat down on a bench, watching the trees sway in the wind.

Ritsu had been right when he'd said that she didn't recognize him. Perhaps there wasn't anything besides his appearance that resembled her lost son.

The image of a woman with long brown hair and a beautiful smile passed through his mind.

He missed that smile. That was one that she hadn't worn since before Seimei died and the only one she'd shown it to was Seimei.

He had been lucky when he would occasionally glimpse that smile while waiting around on the other side of a wall, watching his brother calm her down. She'd always loved Seimei the most. Despite everything though...he would give anything to see her smile like that again.

Hearing the sound of a twig breaking, Ritsuka turned. Noticing who it was, he scooted over on the bench.

"I thought I might find you here." Came Soubi's smooth voice, it reminded him of the wind. The tall man sat down and leaned back.

"Soubi...?" The other questioned timidly. "Hm?" "I-I want to go see my mom." The dark-haired boy replied, not looking up.

"Ritsuka..." To say that the man was shocked would be an understatement.

"Right after everything happened...I was too shaken up to think about her that much and after that, I was busy getting used to being around you so much as well as the apartment and then school...but now, I think I can handle it." Ritsuka admitted.

"After everything that she did to you, you still want to see her?" The fighter asked, confused. He just couldn't comprehend it. "Soubi you don't understand, she's my mother." The boy said, looking at him.

"For God's sake Ritsuka, she beat you for I don't know how long and then even broke your arm. Not to mention, how much psychological damage she's probably done you. A true mother would never have acted the way she did, a true mother would never have hurt you-"

"Soubi!" Ritsuka cried, violet eyes held a pleading look. "I need to see her."

The blond could tell that he wasn't going to change his mind. They sat in silence for a few moments. "Okay then." Soubi replied quietly, staring down at the ground.

"Are you mad?" His sacrifice questioned. There was no reply, the man just shook his head. "Please Soubi, I need you to understand this...I need you to be okay with it." The boy pleaded, putting a hand on his slender arm.

"I'm coming with you. I don't want her near you without me in the room." Ritsuka gave him a half-smile. "Okay."

------------

When they got home, Soubi took out the phone book. After some calls, an appointment was made for Ritsuka to see his mother.

---------------------

The next day in school, as expected, Yuiko was immediately at Ritsuka's side, asking him about the bandage on his face and the one around his neck.

Kio had joked that he looked like Soubi with his neck bandaged like that. He had blushed at that comment. Now, the pink-haired girl didn't joke, only worried.

"Ritsuka-kun, what happened?" "Nothing really, I just fell, I can be so clumsy sometimes." He replied with a smile. Luckily, it seemed that she accepted his answer.

The girl nodded and sat down.

_Ritsuka-kun, it's obvious that what happened to you wasn't an accident. Don't you trust me?..._

She sighed, looking to the front of the room as Shinonome-sensei began the day's lessons.

------------------

A few days later, the day had come.

He wasn't exactly excited about seeing his mother again and the feeling in his stomach told him just how nervous he was. All day he had thought about what to say, how she would act and the clock just ticked on slowly, mocking him.

When the final bell finally rang, he said his goodbye's to Yuiko and Yayoi and walked out of the building. Soubi was standing in his usual spot, waiting for him.

"Ready?" The flaxen-blond asked, though the question was directed at himself more than the boy.

Ritsuka nodded and they walked together to the bus stop.

---------

Standing outside of the hospital, Ritsuka's legs felt like Jell-O. Everything up until this point had been easy and now that he was here, it didn't seem that way. A strong hand grasped his own,

urging him to move forward. He weakly squeezed back.

From there, it seemed as though everything happened in fast-forward. Soubi spoke with a few doctors and before he knew it, he found himself in from of a door. He blinked, confused for a moment before realizing where they were.

Room number 213, his mother's hospital room in the psych ward.

He looked up at his fighter. Sapphire eyes locked with his and he reluctantly let go of the older-man's hand.

They had discussed it, Soubi would be allowed to stay in the room as long as he didn't approach his mother, or say anything to her. The doctors had assured them that she was progressing quite well, but Ritsuka knew how easily her mood could change and he didn't want to risk it. Soubi had agreed because he didn't want to risk himself having to do anything that would result in Ritsuka being taken away from him.

Swallowing, Ritsuka opened the door.

Aoyagi Misakisat in a medium-sized white hospital room, on a hospital bed covered in white sheets, with white pillows on it. She stared out of a small window at the hospital courtyard.

Upon hearing the two enter the room, she turned. Her dark brown hair was nicely combed and she looked well enough. The look on her face was not angry or happy, but calm and at ease.

Soubi sat on a metal chair next to the door that was most likely used by doctors during consultations. Ritsuka stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He was wearing a black turtle-neck shirt to cover his bandges, the last thing he need now was for anyone to find out about what had happened.

The woman stood and hugged him warmly. "Ritsuka, I've missed you." He returned the hug stiffly.

"Come, sit beside me." His mother said, sitting back down. The dark-haired boy complied. "M-mom, you look well." He said, refusing to make eye-contact.

"So do you, are you eating properly?"

Sure, she was acting like a mother, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't do anything. Ritsuka knew better than to think that. "Yes." He replied.

"That's good, they tell me that you have someone taking care of you. Are they doing a good job, making sure that you go to school and get your rest?"

Ritsuka looked over at his fighter. "Yes, Agatsuma-san over there...he takes very good care of

me." He said, paying close attention to his words.

The woman followed his gaze and looked at the flaxen-blond. Soubi smiled his porcelain smile. Ritsuka watched his mother in anticipation.

Her lips turned upward slightly. "Hello." She said calmly. Ritsuka's hands began to shake, he noticed this and clasped them.

_She hasn't done anything or yelled or even mentioned what happened, has she forgotten?..._

"Mom, do you remember what happened? Why you're here?"

She looked at him, her expression suddenly sad. "Yes...I wasn't sure at first, but the doctors told me everything. I couldn't believe what they were saying. I thought, 'There's no way that I could have done this to my Ritsuka.' They told me that what I did was wrong and that I have a problem. Since then, they've been helping me get better. I understand what I did now, and I'm sorry."

Soubi clenched the side of the chair, his knuckles turning white. Though his face remained indifferent, expressionless as ever.

He couldn't believe it, this woman had committed such terrible acts, hurt Ritsuka, his beloved Ritsuka and now she was _sorry_.

_Sorry! She beat him, made him bleed, broke his bones, traumatized him and now she's SORRY!..._

If he squeezed the chair and tighter, he'd bend the metal.

_Calm down, breathe, focus on your breathing..._

It took a little while, but he was finally able to control his rage.

_It wouldn't do any good to hurt his mother, Ritsuka would never forgive me and they would take him away from me..._

"How is your arm?" The brunette asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"It's gotten much better." Ritsuka replied truthfully. "It's actually supposed to be taken off in a few days." He pulled up his sleeve to reveal his cast, drawings and all. They included, among others, the butterfly Soubi drew for him as well as a poorly-drawn portrait of the cat boy himself drawn by Yuiko.

"How cute, did your friends draw these?" Her son nodded.She examined the butterfly closely. "My, this one is lovely."

"Sou-...Agatsuma-sandrew that, he's an artist."

Soubi smirked, it was always nice to receive compliments from his sacrifice.

The woman smiled. "How nice." She stated, sounding sincerely kind.

Ritsuka was nervous. This was mother, _his _mother and she was acting...unusual, to say the least. He didn't exactly expect her to outright beat him, they _were _in a hospital full of people and Soubi was in the room after all, he just expected_ something_. For her to say something, or get angry. He had told her that he was living with this man, this older man...The woman had gone ballistic from just _seeing_ him, knowing that they were even acquainted and now she had even _smiled_ at him; after all that Soubi had said to her, she smiled...it all felt wrong.

_Am I just being paranoid? She's being nice and the doctors have been working with her. Maybe she _is _getting better..._

"Ritsuka?" His mother asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Her tone told him that it hadn't been the first time she had tried to get his attention.

"I-I'm sorry mom, what did you say?" Despite what he had been thinking, he could recount a number of similar situations and he always ended up getting hit. No matter what, there was still the possibility.

"I was just asking about how things are going in school." She replied calmly, her hand hidden next to her clenching.

In essence, the boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Fine, everything's great."

_That's it, I'm just being paranoid..._

"Excuse me, Agatsuma-san, was it?" The blond merely nodded once in response. "Could you please leave the room? I would like to talk to my son alone. It has been quite a while, you understand, don't you."

The man eyed her closely, suspicious, then turned to his sacrifice. The dark-haired boy nodded, standing. Soubi stood as well.

Ritsuka looked up at his fighter. "Go on, I'll be fine." He whispered, the uncertainty in his eyes betraying his statement. Nonetheless, the older man complied, telling himself that he would remain just outside the door in case anything happened.

Soubi left and Ritsuka sat back down. "He really seems to care about you, that's good." This time, though, the woman didn't smile. "Yes, he's a very good person." He replied, scratching his neck.

Bad move.

"Ritsuka, what is that? What happened?" The woman asked, regarding the exposed bandage. "Um, I actually fell during school. It's not all that bad really, just a little bruise."

Her breathing became quicker. "Why are you lying to me?" She questioned. She wasn't angry because of the possibility that someone else had hurt her child, that was for sure. "I-I'm not." He answered, tension building in the small hospital room.

Surely she wouldn't hit him here...

She grabbed his hand tightly. The dark-eared boy winced. "You're hurting me." He stated quietly, she didn't let go. "Why do you always lie to me? I saw the way you looked at that man, you filthy child." She said, her voice becoming darker. Her dark brown bangs masked her eyes.

"Mom please, let me go." He pleaded quietly in a voice more calm than he actually felt. If the doctors saw her hurt him, they might not let him visit her anymore. He hated her being this way, but it was better than not seeing her at all. She was his mother...or something, no matter what. On top of that, he didn't want to hear any, "I told you so's," from his fighter.

"You're not my son, no matter what lies they tell me." She spat.

Her words always cut deeper than any knife ever could.

"_...It's a terrible thing when a mother doesn't recognize her own son"..._

No, he couldn't think about him right now.

"Please, just let me go." He said, slightly louder.

------

Soubi sighed, putting his glasses back on. He glanced around briefly, making sure that no one was around, then placed his ear against the door.

His eyes narrowed into slits when he heard his sacrifice's plea. No. He wasn't going to allow anything to happen this time.

----

The door opened and Soubi stepped in. He saw the tight grip Misaki had on her son's hand, as well as the boy's pained face. As much as he would have liked to kill the woman right there, he restrained himself.

"The doctor said that we should leave now." The blond said, his voice light. He'd surely had a lot of practice with masking how he was feeling.

The hold his mother had on Ritsuka's wrist loosened and she smiled kindly. "Well, that's too bad. I wish we could have more time together, I'll be looking forward to your next visit." She lied, hugging the boy tightly. His arms remained stiff at his sides.

"Bye." He said quietly when she released him.

Ritsuka stood and opened the door. Soubi turned back and glared at the woman with a look that

said: "If you ever hurt him again, no matter what, I _will _kill you."

He followed soon after his charge, closing the door behind him. Ritsuka was already a few paces ahead of him. "What happened?" He questioned, long legs helping him to quickly catch up to the smaller boy.

Ritsuka quickened his pace, the sound of his shoes echoing in the empty hospital corridor, Soubi sped up as well.

"You were right, you warned me not to come, but I insisted." The dark-haired boy replied, not slowing down. "In the end, you were right. She's never going to change and I'm never going to be the son she wants, the one she lost." He continued, his voice wavering.

Placing a hand on his slender shoulder, Soubi turned the violet-eyed boy to face him.

He looked past the man.

The fighter took his quivering chin in his hand, making him face him."I wasn't right, you had to see her, I understand that now."

"Soubi, the things she said...it's just like before. She hasn't changed one bit. She's right, though, I'll never be the son that she lost, I'll never be her 'Ritsuka'." The boy stated, tears in his eyes.

"That may be true, but I don't care, none of that matters to me. To me, _you_ are the only Ritsuka, you're _my_ Ritsuka." Soubi assured him, his sapphire eyes reflecting the truth in his words. Ritsuka closed his eyes, tears streaming down his pale cheeks as he leaned eagerly into the blond's embrace.

In the air lingered all of the things both wanted to say, but couldn't find the words to do so.

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I hope you liked it!

P.S.- Of course I couldn't make his mom all nice and such all of a sudden, it just wouldn't fit. And if you need to be reminded, my lovely fans, this is not yet the end.

Please review!


	12. Why

Welcome to chapter 12, chock full of teenaginess (yeah, I know he's 12...whatever), angst and pillow fighting. (All the makings of a great chapter, I hope.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 12**

"I visited my mother yesterday." Ritsuka stated unfeelingly as he stared off into space in the dimly lit room. The blinds only letting in thin slits of light. The short-haired woman jotted down a few notes and turned her chair to face him.

"Really? How did that go?"

"As well as could expected." He replied.

"But did it go as you'd expected?" The psychologist asked. Ritsuka bit his bottom lip and turned to her. "Not really...I don't know, I guess I expected too much too soon. I should have known better. I just want her to accept me, is that so wrong?"

"Not at all. Although perhaps you shouldn't focus so much on the acceptance of others, but on accepting yourself first. Accept who you are now and assume that you will stay this way, stop worrying about if the "real" Ritsuka will ever return. Right now, _you _areRitsuka. Make the most of it." The woman responded, a fleeting pleading look in her eyes.

_Ritsuka, why can't you let go of the past and all that it holds. Live your life in the here and now, stop hurting..._

The boy cast his eyes downward. The ticking hands on the clock slowly moved closer and closer to the end of their session.

-------------------------

Ritsuka had refused to tell Soubi where he went on days like today and he had quit asking because the matter, like many others, seemed to upset the boy to no end. So here he was, sitting on the couch, staring out the window and pretending to do...what was he pretending to do again? Oh well, no one else was home to ask about it anyway.

The house was silent for once and one could, if need be, hear a pin drop. One such as Agatsuma Soubi though, was listening for the familiar sound of the doorknob turning.

Staring at the round piece of metal, he willed it to move. He greatly enjoyed seeing his sacrifice as often as possible and since he had moved in, that was a lot more than it used to be. The fighter was ecstatic about this fact, whilst Ritsuka at times seemed less than content with it, but that was just how his Ritsuka was.

As if on cue, the doorknob turned. Soubi was a bit startled at first, but quickly settled back down onto the couch, picking up a book on Japanese fine art. He had read it a few times before and it was really quite interesting.

Ritsuka barely even looked at the tall blond lounging on the furniture. The fighter looked up as if he had been interrupted. "Ah, Ritsuka, you're finally back."

"No, I am not going to tell you where I was." He almost snapped the fighter paused, stunned for a moment and then smiled. "That's fine, I was just going to ask you what you'd like to eat tonight."

"I don- whatever...I don't really mind no matter what it is." The boy replied, he was shaking and desperately needed something that would help it stop.

"Are you okay?" The man asked. "Yes." The other replied tersely.

Seeing that his young charge needed some time alone, Soubi stood, walking over and placing a hand on his slender shoulder before going down the hallway.

Ritsuka walked into the clean, white tiled kitchen. He slammed his fist down on the counter in an attempt to make the shaking stop, causing a large kitchen knife lying on the marble to rattle. He looked down at it, the blade shining.

Ah yes, that had been his solution before...

Ritsuka picked up the knife.

_Just once..._

He closed his eyes, pressing the sharp edge to his skin, clenching the handle, he dragged it across his pale wrist.

"Ritsuka!" Soubi grabbed the knife out of his hand, placing it on the counter. "What were you thinking?" The man asked, none too calmly. The dark-haired boy turned to leave, but Soubi grabbed his arm, turning him around. "Ritsuka."

Truth be told, the sacrifice was surprised at himself, he had lost control for a minute there. Something like that hadn't happened for quite some time...It wasn't as though there wasn't good cause for it though.

"Soubi just...please don't ask." He stated, pulling out of the already loose grip and walking down the hall to the room that they shared. He looked down at his wrist, a dark drop of blood running down his hand from the small cut.

The front door burst open suddenly as the Zero boys entered the apartment. "...and the way he screamed when the ice cream 'fell' onto his lap- hilarious! He sounded just like a girl." Youji said, linking arms with his fighter, the burgundy-haired boy laughing.

Kio had taken them out for the day, sensing something was up with the young Aoyagi and the object of his affection; sometimes he was more intuitive than he seemed. Hidden behind those indigo eyes there were often many such thoughts going on. Though, there was no sign of said man right now.

Soubi sighed, he wasn't used to dealing with these sort of..in a manner, somewhat parental responsibilities. He wasn't sure if he should gently ask the boy, or leave him alone about it, or yell at him (though he didn't feel that he ever could.)

He did know, however, that if he attempted to talk to his sacrifice now, he'd merely be confronted with a lot of yelling (and had he still lived with his mother, the man would have promptly been kicked out.) There was no way he could do that now though. It would be far harder for him to avoid the blond and Soubi knew that he wasn't opposed to going elsewhere, such as the park and he absolutely wouldn't have that. So, he would leave the boy alone about it, for a little while at least.

No matter how much it pained him to do so.

--------------------------

Dinner had been eaten in silence. Well, Youji, Natsuo and Kio (who had come home later, pulling a twig out of his hair and dusting dirt off of himself for a reason which he would not say) were talkative, but from Soubi's perspective, the only ones that existed at most times were Ritsuka and himself...and Ritsuka refused to even look at him.

_Ritsuka..._

There were still so many things that remained hidden in his sacrifice's mind, things that he deeply wished to know. He had his own secrets too, of course. But...Ritsuka was different, he wanted to know everything about him. It was a double-standard, he knew, but it didn't matter to him. He wanted to be the only one who actually _knew_ the boy.

It wasn't late but, Ritsuka had practically dashed into their room after finishing his food. Soubi was now outside of those particular chambers and he wanted answers.

------

Ritsuka would have skipped dinner if it would not have meant that there would be more questions, more concerns...

He hated being a bother, he hated bringing other people pain and he hated people worrying about him, always asking if he was alright. Soubi wasn't so bad though, but he still hated for him to worry.

_Idiot..._

He should never had attempted something like that with Soubi even in the area, let alone only a few doors away.

There was a light knock on the door, followed by long, flaxen hair that could only belong to one person.

He had Soubi knocking on the door to his own room, under normal circumstances that detail may have been humorous.

The older man sat down on the soft bed, his expression emotionless, but there was worry in his eyes. Ritsuka couldn't stand to tell him the truth, to hurt him by saying that, no matter what, he would never, _could _never accept that he was now the only Ritsuka, that he hadn't stolen someone else's life. He could never admit to Soubi that, despite all of the love and care that the man had put into helping him, he had, seemingly reverted back to the way he was before.

He had to do something to distract him...

"Hey Soubi." Ritsuka said. The man looked up, only to be hit in the face with a fluffy pillow. The offending pillow dropped into the blond's lap, he looked back at the boy with an odd expression of shock and confusion that made his sacrifice laugh at him.

_Soubi, you're_ _not the only one who can hide his feelings..._

"Is that a challenge?" The fighter asked, after regaining his composure. Ritsuka responded by throwing another pillow, this time Soubi caught it. "Ritsuka, are you attacking me?" He questioned, an evil glint in his eye.

The dark-haired boy was hit in the face with a pillow.

Retaliation.

He giggled, picking it up and attempting to hit Soubi back, however the older man blocked him.

"No fair, you're fast." Ritsuka said in a childish tone. This merely added to his cuteness. He was already using one arm to hit the blond with the pillows in the first place. With that, he lunged at the man, only to be evaded as the fighter rolled off of the side of the bed onto his feet. The boy landed on the bed and looked up with a smile.

"Ritsuka, I'm afraid that this is far too childish for my taste." The man stated in a purposely conceited tone. He promptly changed that minor detail by pushing Ritsuka back onto the bed and leaning over him. That familiar blush crept into the boy's cheeks and the sapphire-eyed man stroked the pink flesh.

Ritsuka swallowed, he hadn't realized before what he might get himself into. Soubi lay down beside his charge, pulling Ritsuka's small form against him.

For now, he just wanted to hold the boy.

------------------

Ritsuka stirred, peering into the darkness. After adjusting, he felt around the bed, but there was no sign of his fighter anywhere. Looking at the clock, he noticed that it was terribly early and he had school the next day and yet, he couldn't get back to sleep.

He stood, opening the door quietly so as not to wake anyone else up. He walked down the hall, his jeans slightly rustling slightly, he hadn't changed.

When he reached the living room, the moonlight was attempting to get through the curtains, some was able to. Other than that, there was a only tiny glow coming from the couch. The shadow behind it moved.

"What are you doing up?" Soubi asked, putting out his cigarette. "I could ask you the same thing." His young charge replied.

"Ah yes, but you are a child and children should not be awake at such early hours." The man retorted cooly. Ritsuka sat down beside him in a huff.

"How would you know? I've been awake this early before...lots of times. Mostly when I couldn't sleep." He stated quietly. There was no need for whispering, Kio and the other boys were heavy sleepers.

"Was I ever the reason?" The older man asked, turning to the boy.

"Sometimes." Came the whispered reply. Soubi blinked, he'd expected his sacrifice to become flustered and give a resounding 'No.'

"Are you cold?" The flaxen-blond asked, smiling, though the unasked question lingered in the air, _"Am I still the reason?"_

That was actually the cause of Ritsuka's early awakening, the warmth that he had grown accustomed to was not next to him. He had found it comforting to know that someone was near while he was sleeping. When Soubi wasn't there, he missed the older man's presence. He'd never admit it though.

A slender arm wrapped around Ritsuka's small body. The younger boy lay his head in his fighter's lap, too tired to object to the action.

Soubi stroked raven locks, the boy's breathing slowing as he gently fell asleep. A single tear rolled down Ritsuka's pale face, shimmering in the moonlight.

The fighter frowned slightly and wiped it away, kissing the cheek where it had been. "I love you." He whispered, leaning against the back of the couch.

Without his permission (for he wanted to remain awake to watch the boy sleeping on him) his eyelids became heavy and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

-------------------

"How cute." Natsuo commented in a sing-song voice.

"Sou-chaaan, why don't you ever sleep with meee?" Kio whined childishly, waking up the other man who had been sound asleep on the couch.

Soubi furrowed his brows when he opened his eyes, but smiled when he looked down to find his charge curled up against him, head still resting in his lap. Blue eyes traveled to the three people in standing in front of them, the smile never leaving his lips.

"Sou-chaaan, don't smile like that, it makes you seem even more perverted." The blond shouted, throwing his hands in to the air. Soubi was about to tell him to be quiet before he woke Ritsuka, when the boy spoke.

"Morning." He said, earning a short chuckle from the man above him. The dark-eared boy turned to the others and blushed.

Kio spun around and started ranting about how older men shouldn't sleep with little kids, with the occasional input of the Zero boys.

The sacrifice sat up, his blush increasing. Looking down at the small, healing cut on his wrist he couldn't believe what he had almost done the day before, now it only seemed like a dream.

Despite his discomfort with the current situation, it was times like these that made Ritsuka forget all of his problems. What he didn't know, was that Soubi felt exactly the same way.

---------------------------------------------

Hooray! yet another chapter done, I hope you all liked it. Über cuteness!

Reviews eternal love from yours truly.

P.S.- I revised the first three chapters, nothing too big, just little things that were annoying me.


	13. Similar

I hope you all liked the last chapter! In this chappie, Ritsuka is finally rid of that meaningless cast.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless, but I should by now, eh? (I also don't own South Park.)

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**Chapter 13**

Walking out of the hospital for the second time that week, Ritsuka flexed his hand, then turned his wrist. It felt odd after what seemed like an eternity of immobility. His hand was weak and it hurt a bit to move it at first.

Soubi smiled at the boy, he was happy for him.

The only problem with his cast being taken off, according to Ritsuka, was that now he would have to participate in Gym class. Not that he was going to, though.

He had left school early to get his cast removed. Soubi had found it funny the way the secretary looked at him when he'd said that there was here to pick up Aoyagi Ritsuka. She had even looked through some files to prove that he was telling the truth about his legal guardianship over the boy.

His amusement had quickly melted away at the woman's skepticism and turned into anger directed at society. If people felt so strongly about his taking care of the boy, they would hate him for loving him so much.

That was fine with him, no one ever had to know besides Ritsuka, he was the only one that mattered anyway.

The woman had told him to wait in the lobby. As much as he would have liked to go straight to his sacrifice's classroom himself, it was better this way because Ritsuka would probably die from embarrassment and rumors would circulate...He had mentioned the rumors about his broken arm and hospitalization. Kids could be vicious.

He looked down at the now bare arm.

The doctor had said that it would take a few days to get used to and that he shouldn't overwork his arm. Soubi put an arm around his sacrifice as they continued down the sidewalk.

"Yuiko's going to be so excited when she sees. I didn't tell her that I was getting it taken off today." Ritsuka explained.

Soubi chuckled. "How does it feel?" "Weird...really weird, and it kind of hurts."

Soubi lifted the boy's arm and stroked it. "Poor Ritsuka." He said, then kissed his hand. Ritsuka blushed and pulled his arm away. Although as they walked, he found his hand weaving its way into the fighter's anyway.

--------------

The two stepped into the apartment and were surprised to find Yayoi and Yuiko sitting on the couch. He immediately let go of Soubi's hand, not having even been aware that he was still holding it.

The other two looked up as they entered. "Ritsuka-kun, you're back!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed.

"Kio-san told us that you were out, but you'd be back soon. Yuiko-san thought that we should wait for you." Yayoi said. "He said that he didn't know where you were, though." The girl pointed out.

Soubi smirked, Kio had known exactly where they were, he probably just didn't want to take the time to explain it to them before he went out. "I even read a great book on Japanese art, the pictures were pretty, but the writing was...confusing."

"Why did you come over in the first place, did you need something Yuiko?" The sacrifice asked, sitting down near her.

A blush appeared on the girl's cheeks, her eyes quickly diverting their gaze. "No, I was worried about you...you were taken out of school early and I was afraid that something was wrong."

Although his sleeve was now pushed down, Yuiko noticed Ritsuka's missing cast. "Ritsuka-kun! Did you get your cast removed?" She could be awfully observant.

The violet-eyed boy pushed up his sleeve, revealing that, yes, it was gone. "We should celebrate!" She exclaimed happily.

The dark-haired boy looked up at his fighter, almost as if requesting permission. The flaxen-blond smiled kindly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

"Yeah, great idea, Yuiko-san." Yayoi piped in, although the girl didn't even hear him because she was already asking Ritsuka how it was getting the cast taken off.

The fighter noticed the disappointed look on the boy's face, he felt bad for him.

_Well that's a change..._

When did he start caring about anyone besides his sacrifice? Sure he had cared about Kio more or less, but he had almost no emotional attachment to Yayoi. So...why?

The answer was obvious.

_Ritsuka..._

The boy had changed him and in more ways than one. He was even tempted to talk to Yayoi about his situation. How odd...

"Soubi-san, are you okay?" The pink-haired girl asked. He smiled with porcelain charm. "Yes, Yuiko-chan, would you like some tea and cookies? We can use them to celebrate." He offered.

"Oh yes, that would be great."

Ritsuka watched the older man as he stood. "Ritsuka would you help me?" He asked, still with his fake smile.

Though the boy nodded, he frowned when the man turned his back as he walked. Ritsuka hated that smile, it was so deceitful. He knew that he was only using it because Yuiko and Yayoi were around though. He had noticed that other times as well.

The sacrifice walked into the kitchen behind his fighter. Soubi was standing in an area off to the side, one that the man had chosen specifically because no one could see them from the living room.

The dark-haired boy walked to him and Soubi flashed that wonderful smile. It was saved for Ritsuka...only Ritsuka. As the taller man wrapped his arms around him, Ritsuka didn't blush, but instead, leaned into his embrace.

Laying his chin in-between raven ears, the sapphire-eyed man breathed in his charge's scent. "I'm sorry." He whispered, almost inaudibly.

Ritsuka stiffened, his hand clenching the man's shirt. "For what?" He whispered back.

"Everything..." The man breathed.

The boy wrapped his arms tighter around the blond. Neither spoke, they didn't need to. Ritsuka knew what the man was sorry about- his mother, Ritsu, Seimei, all of his pain...But he also knew that no matter how many times he said it wasn't his fault, Soubi would still believe that it was.

Nevertheless, he had to say it at least once. "Soubi...it's not your fault." He murmured into the man's broad chest.

Soubi smiled, even if he couldn't believe the words, hearing them still helped a little. He wished that they could stay like this forever, but he knew that Yuiko's curiosity would get the better of he sooner, rather than later...

"We should really be getting the tea and cookies." He stated, slight disappointment in his voice. The boy nodded, moving out of his arms and turned on the stove to heat the tea.

--------------

The little celebration was nice. There had been light conversation and Ritsuka smiled quite a bit, although Soubi liked to think that it was more because of him than the party.

After about an hour, the Zero boys had stopped in and livened things up a bit by bringing out some beer and attempting to get Yayoi to drink some.

They hadn't dared try for Ritsuka though, especially about Soubi gave them a glare that said he would kill them if his sacrifice ever got drunk. After that, Yuiko and Yayoi had suddenly decided that it was time to leave.

Soubi now lay in bed, his sleeping sacrifice beside him. They hadn't spoken of what happened earlier.

They never seemed to, but Soubi was too afraid of losing him to ever prod. It had been hours now, that he had been here like this: lying down, Ritsuka's head resting on his chest.

How could he sleep? This was the way that things should be. This was were simple, beautiful and he had his Ritsuka all to himself.

Slender fingers stroked the boy's dark locks as sapphire eyes watched, entranced.

Soubi loved Ritsuka's hair, it was so much like Seimei's, but at the same time, it wasn't.

Ritsuka's hair was the perfect black and mixed with his pale skin, it was almost as though he'd stepped out of some ancient fairytale, put here especially for Soubi.

No matter what, it always smelled sweet- not sickly-sweet though, but more like a mixture of fruit scents all coming together, forming one new, lovely scent that suited him perfectly. Soubi had never checked to see what shampoo the boy used because it might break the charm, as silly a notion as it was.

And most of all, (something that Soubi loved infinitely for some reason) his raven locks were always flawlessly soft when the fighter ran slender fingers though it. It was as though it reflected his gentleness and just amazing beauty inside and out.

Ritsuka's ears, characteristics that separated him from the child he is and the adult he wishes to be, were velvety smooth and always twitched in a way that Soubi found positively darling. The man loved to pet them, watching as his sacrifice relaxed for a moment before blushing madly and moving away. So cute.

Seimei's hair was slightly wavy and had a way of framing his strong-featured face. It was a different sort of black compared to his little brother's, more dark (not in color, but in appearance) and, mixed with the smile he'd used sometimes in battle, he could look almost demonic.

His hair (when the fighter was actually close enough to smell it) had more of a plain, light vanilla scent, sort of pure- Seimei had always been somewhat obsessed with purity.

Unlike Ritsuka, Seimei never, ever let Soubi touch his hair (not that Ritsuka would ever confess to this) the blond had tried, of course, but just as when the man attempted to hold or caress him, Seimei smacked his hand away, or pushed him or sometimes hit him. He had never had any problem punishing his fighter.

Soubi, he'd always said, was tainted, dirty and the only reason that he tolerated being around the man so often was because he was his fighter. Though, to him, this entailed him being more like his slave; his dog.

Despite knowing all of this, Soubi had never hesitated to stop Kio when he badmouthed Seimei, he never hesitated to fight for him, he never hesitated to follow his orders, and he never hesitated to love him.

Ritsuka was different, though, better and Soubi could feel his love growing for the boy everyday. Stronger than the orders, stronger than the love he held for his previous sacrifice, this boy's brother.

An annoying beeping noise interrupted his thoughts. Ritsuka had proposed that he buy a alarm clock. Damning the device, he looked down at the child curled next to him.

Ritsuka groaned, his ears twitching, and opened his eyes with a yawn. "Soubi, stop that, you're making me more tired and I have school today."

The blond merely smiled, removing his hand from dark locks and lightly kissed his sacrifice's flushed cheek.

People would say that Ritsuka is just like his brother, but they'd be wrong.

The man looked at the wall in front of him. There hung the painting that he had created for Ritsuka. His sacrifice had insisted that they hang it there, saying that it was as much Soubi's as it was his.

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Hope you liked it! Please review!

And now for you reading pleasure...something completely off-topic and funny that my sister and I thought of:

Ritsuka once asked his fighter. "Soubi what makes you so cool."

The blond laughed. "The answer might surprise you...it's because I watch South Park. Come over to my house, it's on all the time."

"Soubi, I live in your house." The boy replied. "Hmm, you're right hahahaha!"

(You may understand this is you've ever heard a certain radio commercial involving George Clooney.)


	14. Sorry

It makes me so happy when I receive all of your wonderful reviews, it just brightens my day.

Shout out to all the Kio fans out there, our crazy blond gets some time in this chapter. I know he's been kind of neglected. He's not being an asshole or anything either. (Sorry Kio-haters)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 14**

"Ritsuka-kun, how long has Soubi-san been making those lunches for you? It's been a while, hasn't it?" Yuiko questioned.

She had invited him to eat lunch outside with her. Yayoi had joined them as well, as was his way. The three now sat on a bench outside of the school.

"I'm not sure, he started making them when I..." "Moved in with him?" Yuiko finished for him.

"Yeah, it's kind of weird. If it were up to me, I would just eat something small, but every morning, he makes me lunch."

_Why, though? Why does he make such a big deal about such little things?..._

"It looks delicious." The indigo-eyed girl stated with a smile.

Ritsuka smiled knowingly. "Would you like to try some?" He asked. Her face lit up and he handed her a set of chopsticks.

-------------

At times, Soubi just felt like skipping class and going over to Ritsuka's school. He'd done it before.

He sighed, setting down his paintbrush. How could he be expected to keep his mind off of his sacrifice when the wonderful boy was his inspiration?

_And he still won't trust me..._

He was beginning to think that there was something wrong with him, or the way that he was going about things. Why couldn't Ritsuka talk to him?

Truly, when he sat down to think about it, (which seemed to be happening a lot lately) Ritsuka had never really entrusted to him any of his secrets, any of the things that he had bottled up inside. He only gave him little things, bits of information to help him understand what was going on, but they had never really sat down and talked about him...

The flaxen-blond flexed his wrist and resumed his work. He would always have time to think about such not-so-happy thoughts later. Now, his mind decided on recalling how Ritsuka looked while he slept.

--------------

After lunch Ritsuka's day had, unfortunately, gone down hill.

First, someone bumped into him in the hallway, knocking his books to the floor and causing his papers to scatter about the entire hall. Because of that he had been late to class and the substitute had assigned him a detention to be carried out that afternoon. And to top it all off, he had been given a very large amount of homework. Was he going to do all of that homework? Perhaps.

_School is there for a reason, why do we need to do work at home?..._

He walked up the now familiar stairs to Soubi's apartment.

He stepped in, barely noticing the two blond men chatting in the living room. Soubi looked up when he entered. "Ritsuka, you're home. I was getting a little worried even though Yuiko informed me that you were staying after school for detention. What did you do?"

Somehow the man couldn't fathom this innocent boy doing anything to merit such punishment, or any punishment for that matter. Himself, on the other hand...

"Nothing, I was just late for class." Ritsuka responded, walking down the hall as the fighter said something about needless punishment of good children.

_Good? Heh, I don't think so..._

Depositing his backpack on the floor in his and Soubi's room, he walked back out into the kitchen to get himself a snack.

Soubi watched his charge, noting that there was something bothering him. He stood, and walked to him. "Is there something wrong?" He asked, reaching out to touch the boy's face.

Ritsuka smacked his hand away.

For a moment, the man's eyes were sad, but he quickly repressed it and smiled. "I have to go out for a little while to buy some groceries. Is there anything you'd like, Ritsuka?"

The dark-haired boy shook his head and sat down beside the other man on the couch. With a curt nod, Soubi grabbed his coat and took his leave.

After he was sure that Soubi was out of earshot, Kio turned to the boy beside him. "Stop toying with him!"

Ritsuka blinked at him, shocked at his seemingly unprovoked outburst. The man appeared to be really mad.

"Don't you dare give me that look. You're a smart kid and I _know_ that you can't possibly be oblivious to how Soubi feels."

Ritsuka looked down at his hands.

_I love you, Ritsuka..._

"He always says that he lo-"

"No! Not that...not _that_. I mean his other feelings. Haven't you ever watched him when you do things like that? When you push him away?"

"I don't kno-" He started, but was cut off again. It seemed that Kio didn't intend for this to be a conversation. The blond stood and continued.

"You don't know because you don't try to. But _I_ know even though I'm not the one who should. You weren't there when he would call late at night and I knew what to be prepared for when he returned! You weren't the one that had to bandage his bloody wounds! Some were deep and some shallow, but no matter what, I could never bandage the ones that were invisible; the ones that ran far deeper than the rest!...He hurts on the inside all the time."

He paused, taking a breath to calm himself and sat back down.

"When Seimei died, he was lost in his sadness. To tell you the truth, I thought that he was going to die or something, but then he found you. I was so afraid that you would be just like your brother: just another selfish Aoyagi who would use Soubi. I was wrong though, I told you that. Slowly, but surely you freed him from what he was used to with your brother. I can see how much he cares about you. Although I might not act like it all the time, I am smarter than I look. I see the look in his eyes when he sees you smile, when you're sad. And when you reject him, it's more painful than any blade."

Kio sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. With a pained expression on his face, he looked into Ritsuka's eyes. "You're the only one that can heal him."

Not waiting for the boy to reply, he stood. "I'm going out for a walk." Ritsuka just watched his back as he left.

He couldn't help but feel terrible. There had been so many times when Soubi had showed how much he cared, how could he have overlooked them?

_..."Ritsuka, I love you"..._

_..."Ritsuka, you need to stay awake." The blond commanded quietly, worry etched into his normally calm features. "I-I can't...so...tired..." He responded, his eyes closing. "Ritsuka, please" ..._

_..."Silly child, I worry about you already"..._

_**..."**I'm weak." He stated plainly. "No, Ritsuka, you're very strong, but you are still very young, no matter how mature or self-reliant you think you are. It's easier to go through these things with someone there to help you... someone that cares about you"..._

_..."Ritsuka, what are you doing out here? It's pouring and you're going to get sick." He said, his voice concerned..._

_..."If I ever catch you near Ritsuka again, I _will_ kill you." Soubi spat..._

_..."I am not going to leave you, I promise" ..._

_..."For God's sake Ritsuka, she beat you for I don't know how long and then even broke your arm. Not to mention, how much psychological damage she's probably done you. A true mother would never have acted the way she did, a true mother would never have hurt you-"..._

_..."Soubi, the things she said...it's just like before. She hasn't changed one bit. She's right, though, I'll never be the son that she lost, I'll never be her 'Ritsuka'." The boy stated, tears in his eyes. "That may be true, but I don't care, none of that matters to me. To me, you are the only Ritsuka, you're my Ritsuka"..._

_..."I'm sorry." He whispered, almost inaudibly. Ritsuka stiffened, his hand clenching the man's shirt. "For what?" He whispered back. "Everything..."..._

It was all so obvious, he could kick himself.

-----------------------------

The next day, Ritsuka woke up before his fighter with the first rays of the sun.

He had been thinking for the better part of the night, berating himself. He'd had no right to be so cruel.

Soubi had feelings too and he could have bad days, but did he ever take his anger or frustration out on him?

No.

Before finally drifting off to sleep, he'd decided on something that might make them both feel better...or something. It was Sunday, so it was the perfect time.

Sitting up in bed, he looked at the blond. Sometimes, the few times when he woke before the man, he found himself watching him as he slept.

He had such a peaceful sleeping face, though at times he seemed troubled, as if having a bad dream.

Currently though, his flaxen hair was covering his face and it seemed to be one of those troubled times. Through the strands of hair, Ritsuka could see his expression, simply put: he looked sad.

The boy truly didn't wish to wake him though. He liked being able to see things that the man hid from him during the day, behind his mask that he put on to protect him.

Unfortunately, either because he felt his sacrifice watching him, or his body decided it was time, Soubi awoke.

Sapphire eyes snapped open. Because of this, Ritsuka guessed that it was the fighter's instincts that had woken him.

Instinctively, Soubi moved a bit away from the boy next to him.

_What is he doing?..._

They hadn't talked much the night before after he got back. He'd suspected that the boy was angry at him for some reason. He didn't know what that reason was, but he'd been sure that it was so. He'd decided not to ask about it, for it might anger Ritsuka more that he didn't know. It would, as usual, reveal itself in due time.

So why was he looking at him like that?

"It's my turn." The raven-haired boy said, breaking the silence.

The man furrowed his brows. "For what?" He asked, voice as smooth as ever.

Ritsuka laid down next to him and looked him in the eye. "To say I'm sorry." He stated with small smile. The older man couldn't help but smile back. He reached up and stroked the side of his charge's face. "You've done nothing wrong."

Ritsuka closed his eyes. "Yes I have. I've been so selfish and mean to you when all you've done was be there for me."

"Ritsuka, I love you. I'm sorry if-"

"Don't be sorry, you've been doing what's best for me and I've been terrible to you. Acting like you're just...some kind of convenience that I can toss aside whenever I choose, even though you're a person and...my friend. I just want to make it up to you."

"Such intelligence for someone your age." The man said, kissing him on the forehead. "It's no wonder why I don't even notice these things."

"Stop lying, I know you do. Kio told me." Ritsuka laughed. "See? I couldn't even figure it out by myself...I'm sorry." Soubi caught the sincerity in the boy's eyes.

"Stop apologizing, please."

He was so unused to this.

Someone was being truly regretful for something they'd done to him, it was just...odd. His nature was to please his master, to carry out his bidding and do as he was told. Ritsu-sensei had taught him that, Seimei had followed that, but this little boy...he treated him like a person.

Ritsuka saw sorrow form in the man's eyes, and was startled by the intensity.

"I thought that maybe we could do something today." He said, bringing his fighter back to reality and just like that, the sorrow was gone and replaced by happiness.

The weird thing was that it seemed just as real.

"What did you have in mind?" Asked the blond.

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I hope you liked this chapter, please review!

Do they even have detention in Japan?

P.S.- Some of you may not have recognized the second quote, it was part of the revisions that I did to the first few chapters.


	15. Perplexed

Hey look, I finally found a way to space it better! That must have been annoying the crap out of you guys. (I know it was annoying me.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless, but wouldn't that be so cool?

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**-**

**Chapter 15**

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A light wind blew, causing the trees to sway.

Ritsuka and Soubi stood in front of Seimei's shrine. The boy's eyes were closed and his head bowed, as if in prayer, but all he could do was think.

He wanted to believe that he hadn't been here for so long because of what happened with his mom, as well as school and such. The truth was, though he'd never admit it, that he was jealous and angry with his brother.

Why should he be the one that Soubi's heart was eternally bound to?- Not only his heart, but his entire being. It seemed that all of the, "I love you Ritsuka"s in the world would never be enough to make that fact go away.

_Seimei, did you even care about him?..._

Tears came to his eyes and he willed them away.

_Why am I so worked up about this? What do I care if he belongs with Seimei?..._

He felt his heart twinge.

Opening his eyes slowly, he gazed up at the man beside him. The blond was looking at the shrine, but more like through it. He seemed to be deep in thought.

_Soubi..._

He turned away.

_But he- he just cares about me because Seimei ordered him to, right?..._

_...he just takes care of me because I'm his sacrifice by default...right?..._

_...right?..._

He turned back to Soubi. This time, their eyes caught each other's gaze. His pulse quickened.

What was wrong with him? Could he really...?

"Is something the matter Ritsuka?" The fighter asked, flashing that smile at the boy, _his _smile. The dark-haired boy shook his head, to Soubi, it was a 'no', but for him, it was to try and stop thinking about...

"Would you like to leave now?" The blond asked, glancing around as if searching for something. Before Ritsuka could reply, they were interrupted.

"Oh no, you can't leave now, the fun hasn't even started." Came a young man's voice from behind them.

They turned around, and saw a boy with short, dark brown hair coupled with a girl who had mid-length pink hair, they both seemed to be around 14-16 years old.

Another team, it seemed, no doubt sent by Ritsu-sensei.

-----------------

The fight hadn't lasted long. They had been surprisingly easy to defeat. As soon as Soubi had begun prodding, their weakness was revealed and they crumbled. Perhaps Ritsu was getting soft, though that seemed highly unlikely.

"Soubi, I'm all right, it's not that bad." Ritsuka stated for the third time. He had been cut across the arm. It wasn't deep, so why was his fighter making such a big deal about it?

"It's just a precaution. It's liable to get infected."

_I give up..._

The boy sighed and held out his arm, Soubi smirked and took out the antiseptic. Putting a bit of the cream to his fingers, he gently applied it to the cut. The boy watched as he worked. He had an artist's hands; his slender fingers moved swiftly and they were so soft...

Ritsuka tried to think of something else. Why was he thinking about Soubi like...however he was?

"All done." Soubi's charming voice came.

Indeed it was, the white bandages were neat and cleanly cut, he'd had a lot of practice. He stroked the part of the bandage that covered the cut. Ritsuka shivered a bit.

_What is going on?..._

He stood, not meeting Soubi's eyes. "I umm...I'm going to do some homework." He stated nervously and left the room.

The older man just sat perplexed for a moment, and shook his head.

_What's going on with him?..._

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Natsuo pulled a piece of gum out of his pocket. His sacrifice looked over at him from his place on Kio's bed. That was his favorite gum. "Let me have some." He stated.

"Sorry, last piece." The burgundy-haired boy said with a smirk and put it into his mouth. Youji pouted, watching the other boy lick his fingers.

_Yummy..._

He tackled his fighter, assaulting his mouth. When he'd obtained his prize, he moved away. Natsuo leaned back, breathless for a moment.

"Hey, you took my gum!" He shouted. The mint green-haired boy merely shrugged. "Not my fault." He stated, lying down.

"You're no fun." The other boy said.

"Am so." Came the reply.

"Hmm, you know what would be fun though?" The green-eyed boy questioned, a smile playing on his lips.

-------------

Ritsuka watched the white tub fill with water, steam rising. He tightened the towel around his waist and turned off the faucet.

He sighed.

_What's going on with me? What is this feeling?..._

The Zero boys burst into the room, startling him to the point that he almost fell into the water.

"Wha-"

"Hey there Ritsuka, we thought we'd come and see how you're doing." Youji said with a smile.

"I'm about to-"

"Take a bath? I see, that sounds like fun, doesn't it Youji?" The curly-haired boy asked with a wink. "Lots of fun. Can we join you?" He asked with a smile.

"What? No you-"

The other boys grabbed him by the arms and pulled him into the water. The dark-haired boy shouted.

----

In the kitchen, Soubi set down his glass at the sound of his sacrifice's shout. He decided to investigate.

He walked down the hallway, upon hearing splashes and muffled cries, he opened the door.

----

The three boys looked at Soubi as he entered. He stared back, quite confused.

They were all wet, Youji and Natsuo were in their clothes and Ritsuka's towel was lifted to an almost very revealing level.

The violet-eyed boy scrambled to get loose from the other boy's grip. Finally succeeding, he fell to the floor.

Ritsuka blushed profusely and quickly grabbed at his towel.

Soubi would never laugh at his sacrifice's expense, but he couldn't help himself as a low chuckle escaped his throat. This brought him a glare that, unfortunately for Ritsuka, wasn't too convincing.

The man moved forward and lifted the dark-haired boy from the floor. "Are you alright Ritsuka?" He questioned, a smile still on his face.

Ritsuka could only nod slightly, refusing to make eye contact with his fighter. "Okay then." Soubi stated, looking to the other boys. They were still soaking wet and had smiles plastered to their faces.

"And what were you two doing?" He questioned.

"We were only playing Soubi." Natsuo answered, standing and offering a hand to his sacrifice. The other giggled and stood as well.

Soubi shook his head and tossed them some towels. "Dry yourselves off."

The blond looked back down at the boy in front of him. He lifted his chin with a finger and grabbed another towel and started drying his dark hair.

"So cute Ritsuka." He whispered, knowing that this would get a rise out of the boy.

"Mnn." Ritsuka whined and closed his eyes tightly. "Shut up."

He wasn't really angry with his fighter, just confused. He didn't want to be near him right now because of the weird, mixed up feelings that were brewing inside of him.

"Aww, is Witsuka embawassed?" Natsuo teased, squeezing out his shirt.

Youji put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. The burgundy-haired boy got a very perverted smirk on his face and nodded.

"We'll be going now." The younger fighter stated, pulling the other out of the room, their wet clothes creating puddles on the floor.

Soubi made a mental note to do something about that later.

Dropping the towel, he looked at his sacrifice. "That's much better." He commented, patting the boy's now only damp hair.

"Stop." Ritsuka shook his head and moved away.

The blond smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek, stepping toward the door. "I'll leave you to your bath now." He said and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Ritsuka placed a hand on his cheek. Where he had been kissed, it sort of tingled.

He sat on the floor and hugged his knees.

_What _is_ this?..._

---------------

After his bath, Ritsuka went into his and Soubi's room. Sitting on the bed, he took out a small box and opened it. Inside there were dozens of pictures of he and Soubi, as well as Seimei.

When he had moved here, he had decided that it was best to keep these put away (at least the ones with Seimei), he felt that it might make Soubi sad.

Taking out a few pictures, he laid them out on the bed next to him.

One was of he and Seimei, smiling and happy, the way things used to be. Another was of the first day he'd met Soubi, the man had his arms around him. The last was of Soubi in front of his painting, the one made specially for him.

He looked up at the wall where it hung. It was truly lovely.

Slender fingers traced Soubi's face in the photograph. He'd captured that smile that night, it was his to hold forever.

Soubi had said once, that he'd caught him. Just like a butterfly.

_Heh, right..._

Soubi would never be his. Then again, he shouldn't be anyone's, he was a person after all.

_But still..._

He didn't want to own Soubi, like Seimei had. The man didn't belong to him, a person couldn't just _own _someone else. Ritsuka did want Soubi to be his...just not so much as belonging _to _him, as belonging _with_ him.

_Forever..._

His head shot up at that thought.

"What?" He whispered. Hot tears made themselves known as they fell from his face onto his hand. He reached up and hastily wiped them away.

He hadn't felt them at all.

He picked up the pictures and placed them back into the box, closing the lid.

"Ritsuka?" Soubi's voice called from the hallway just outside the door. The boy quickly wiped away any traces of salty betrayal.

The man pushed the door open and came in. "Are you going to eat dinner?" He asked, leaning against the wall. "I um...thought that I would go to bed early. I'm kind of tired." Ritsuka lied.

Soubi watched him, a look of concern on his face. "Are you okay?" His sacrifice nodded. "Yeah...just tired." He answered, emphasizing it with a yawn.

The blond regarded him for a moment."Would you like me to re-bandage your arm?" The dark-haired boy averted his gaze. "No, that's okay, I'll do it myself."

Soubi managed a smile, though Ritsuka caught the falseness of it out of the corner of his eye. "Well then, I'll leave you to your rest now. Goodnight." He stated, leaving.

Ritsuka laid down on the soft bed. Sleep sounded nice, but he could tell that he wasn't going to be getting much tonight.

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P.S- If you're wondering why I didn't name the other team or talk about the battle, I always kind of make fun of the names that people make for the other teams and such, and I didn't want to be a hypocrite.


	16. Gift

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 16**

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Soubi sighed and sat down on his bed. What could be bothering his young sacrifice?

Said child was currently at school and he didn't have any classes this afternoon, so he had plenty of time to think.

The girls in one of his classes had thought it was the cutest thing when Kio mentioned that he was a pervert and took care of a little boy. They had dismissed the 'pervert' comment and begun bombarding him with questions and comments.

- How old is he?

- That's the cutest thing ever!

- Is he cute?

- That's so sweet! So you're like his mom right now, or something?

- Could you bring him to class sometime?

The man scoffed.

What was the boy, some sort of pet to bring to show and tell? This was _his_ Ritsuka and he didn't want to share him with anyone else. So no, he would _not_ bring him to class.

He was _his_ Ritsuka...and yet, he had no idea what was wrong.

Soubi just wished that he could read the boy's mind. Usually it was easy for him to figure out what was on someone's mind from their mannerisms, their eyes and the look on their face. He could manipulate them into telling him something.

But this was Ritsuka.

He couldn't figure out what was going on. Ritsuka seemed to be avoiding him, but then he was there. The child avoided his gaze, but then didn't protest when he held him.

He just couldn't figure it out and he certainly was not going to manipulate the boy into telling.

The only thing he could do was think of something that would make his sacrifice happy.

An idea hit him. It wouldn't be a good thing for him, but it would probably make Ritsuka happy.

_Anything for my Ritsuka..._

------------------

Today would have been the perfect day to have a session with Shouko-sensei. He needed a way to clear his mind. Besides, perhaps she could help him figure out what was going on with him.

"Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko waved a hand in front of his face. "Hm?" Came the response.

"Are you okay? You don't seem very happy. I thought that the ice cream might cheer you up."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about some things. I'm fine, really. Thank you, Yuiko." He smiled, licking his ice cream cone.

-------------

Ritsuka entered the apartment to find...no one.

Well that was odd. There was usually someone around whether it was the Zero boys, Kio, or...

_Soubi..._

His heart seemed to skip a beat. He pressed his hands to either side of his head.

_What _is_ this?..._

"Ritsuka?" Soubi said. Even from across the room, the boy could see the worry shimmer in his eyes. He quickly dropped his hands to his sides.

"I have a surprise for you." The blond stated, striding over and grasping his shaking hand. The boy picked up his book bag and allowed Soubi to pull him to the room they shared, opening the door.

The little furniture that had been there had been moved around, including the bed. To make room for...another bed.

This one was adjacent to Soubi's. The comforter was white and fluffy, as were the pillows.

Ritsuka looked up at his fighter. "It's yours, go and try it out." He said.

The boy dropped his bag, walked over and sat down. It was very bouncy and soft, very nice. Had Soubi bought this for him? He wasn't sure that he liked the man spending too much money on him. Where did he even get money in the first place? He didn't have a job as far as he knew.

"Why?"

Soubi sat on his bed, across from the boy. "I thought that you should have one. You've been living here for well over a month and I don't think it was very fair of me to make you sleep with me the whole time. Besides, I've already bought you a dresser and I intend to buy you other pieces of furniture...Do you like it?"

The raven-haired boy nodded, picking up one of the pillows. "You bought it for me?"

"Of course. Anything for you, Ritsuka." The man said with a smile. "But what about money?" Ritsuka asked.

"Don't worry about that. I'm taking care of you and that's all you need to know, consider it a gift. Of course, if you don't want it, I can always bring it all back. It's your choice."

"N-no, it's fine." The boy stated, putting the pillow beside him. He attempted a small smile, trying to look happy, but couldn't.

_Why is that?..._

The blond stood. "Of course, it may take a little while to get used to." He walked over, lightly pressed his lips to his sacrifice's cheek and left the room.

Ritsuka walked over and picked up his book bag. He didn't think that he would be able to get any work done, but he had to try. He took out a text book and opened it with a sigh.

----------

He _still_ didn't seem happy.

Soubi sat down on the couch and took of his glasses.

Was there nothing he could do to please his sacrifice? If tears could fall from his eyes, they would. He had never felt more useless in his life. He had always had a purpose, and served it as well as he could, but now...he had no idea what to do.

He was calculating, always planned things out, but in this case, all of his plans had seemed to fail.

Was he obsolete?

No.

He straightened and put his glasses back on. He was not one to give up so easily, the situation was frustrating, but he would overcome it. He would make Ritsuka happy somehow.

He needed Ritsuka's smile to survive.

He smirked.

Well, maybe not entirely.

--------------------

Soubi walked into the dark room and, for the first time in what seemed like forever, lay down on his empty bed. Through the blackness, he could see the silhouette of his young sacrifice beneath the blankets of his own bed.

As he thought, he was not going to like this change, but it was all for Ritsuka. Though, he would gladly remove it if the boy wanted him to do so. Then again, he severely doubted that would happen.

He turned over and closed his eyes.

----

Ritsuka tried to, but found that he just couldn't fall asleep. The bed just seemed so...empty.

He had heard Soubi enter, and lay down a while ago. Surprisingly, he felt lonelier than he had before the man came in.

He quietly pushed the blankets off of himself and sat up. Then, he looked over to see if he'd woken up Soubi. The man didn't move.

He stiffly swung his legs over the side and stepped onto the floor. Slowly, he tip-toed the short distance to the man's bed.

Instantly, he felt like a child again. A little boy going to his brother's bed; scared or lonely, he was never sure. Seimei had always welcomed him and they slept beside each other.

"Soubi." He whispered, nervousness building in the pit of his stomach. Still, the man didn't move.

--

Soubi opened his eyes, he'd been fully aware of the boy's presence all along. How could he sleep?

When he heard the next words, his heart swelled with love for the adorable boy.

"Can I sleep with you?" Ritsuka whispered.

He turned over and without a word, lifted the blankets and allowed his sacrifice under. Ritsuka, albeit a bit timidly, laid down next to him.

Soubi put an arm around his sacrifice and smiled.

Perhaps he wasn't so useless after all.

-----------------

Rays of sunlight shone on the dark-haired boy's face, erasing the dreams from his mind.

Groggily, Ritsuka opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again when the sun nearly blinded him. He turned over and looked at the bed.

That was odd, wasn't he on the other the room last night?

Soubi came to the doorway and smiled at him. "You don't remember?" The boy looked up at him. "Remember what?" He asked.

The fighter smirked at him, a knowing expression on his face. Ritsuka blushed and looked away.

The blond chuckled and sat on the bed next to him. He brushed a dark hair out of the boy's face.

"You came to me last night and asked to sleep with me. It was very cute."

Ritsuka turned to face the other wall so that Soubi couldn't see his face. Though, the man knew that he was most likely remembering it very much right now.

_That's right, I did..._

He felt so silly. He must have seemed like such a little kid to Soubi for doing that.

Soubi placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in closer. "I can get rid of it if you'd like." He whispered into his sacrifice's ear.

"W-what?" He blushed. "The bed." Came the man's reply.

"N-no you bought it for me and-"

"And I meant what I said before, one word and it's gone. I won't keep something that you dislike Ritsuka." The fighter stated.

"It-it's not that I don't like it...I just..."

"Prefer sleeping with me?"

"Yeah- No!...I mean...I..."

Soubi chuckled again, the boy wasn't smiling, but he did see happiness in there. He decided that he would release the boy from his torture.

"I'll get rid of it later today, it will be gone before you get back from school." He said, taking Ritsuka's chin in hand and turning him to face him.

"You don't have to...but thank you." He smiled, it was a small smile, but Soubi would take it. The man leaned down and pressed their lips together. "Mnnf" Ritsuka's protests were muffled.

"Soubiii." He whined when the man broke away, trying to keep a stern expression, but failing miserably because of their close proximity. His heart beat so fast that he felt as though his fighter would be able to hear it.

_What is_ _this, this feeling?_

_Soubi, he..._

Unbeknownst to him, his mind had commanded his face to move upwards. Or was it his heart?

_What?..._

"You'd better get ready for school." Soubi stated, a smile on his face and got up. The boy lingered in his odd position for a moment. "Ritsuka, are you okay?" The fighter asked from the doorway.

His sacrifice looked up as if startled, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He responded with a small smile and got out of bed. Ritsuka sighed, running a hand through his raven locks.

Something was definitely different.

-------------------

When Ritsuka arrived home from school, just as promised, the bed was gone.

How it happened was a mystery and Soubi wouldn't explain it to him. The fighter merely said that he shouldn't worry about it.

He sat down on the bed that he had now agreed to share with the older man.

_It's just like him..._

What would have annoyed him to no end before, now brought upon a headache which disguised deeper feelings that were causing a sharp pain in his chest.

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I love this job.

(Note: This is not a job, but I severely lack a real one.)

I hope you liked it, please review!


	17. Love

I'm so excited! I had to post this chapter sooner than usual, so I'm sorry about any extra mistakes, I couldn't wait.

I just _know_ you guys are going to love this it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 17**

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Ritsuka couldn't remember a time when he had been more perplexed than he was right now. Though, he couldn't remember much past two years ago.

These feelings he was having were confusing, exciting and frightening at the same time...

He was almost tempted to ask Yuiko about it, but then he'd have to explain and he _really_ didn't feel like talking to her about Soubi like...He sighed, frustrated.

_Like what?..._

He clenched his fists at his sides and closed his eyes. The bell rang and he would have barely flinched, had it not meant the end of the school day. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and came face-to-face with his pink-haired friend. There was a lack of personal space. "Yui...ko?"

The indigo-eyed girl jumped back. "Sorry! Um...I was just worried about you Ritsuka-kun. You looked like you were in pain."

_Pain?..._

Maybe he was.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. Just a little tired." She nodded sadly. "I was wondering if you'd-"

"Actually Yuiko, I have plans, sorry." He stated, grabbing his books and leaving the room more quickly than he'd intended.

When he entered the stairwell, he wasn't even sure how he had gotten there. No matter, he didn't know where he wanted to go anyway. He sat on a step and leaned his head against the wall.

_Soubi..._

He gasped at the sudden pain in his chest. "What _is_ this?" He whispered to himself, voice strained.

----------

Soubi sighed.

It wasn't exactly_ unusual_.

There could be many reasons for why he hadn't seen Ritsuka exit the school. Yes, of course, many reasons.

There had to be.

But what about what Yuiko had said, about the boy mentioning that he had other plans? Did he? He still would have seen him leave the school though.

It was hard not to be worried when faced with such a situation because, just as there were good reasons for why he hadn't seen the boy, there were also countless ones that were cause for him to worry. Or perhaps he was simply being over protective.

Nevertheless, he had an obligation to insure Ritsuka's safety. He walked through the entrance toward the school.

---------

Ritsuka had heard Yuiko call his name a while ago, and the sound of her shoes as she ran down the hallway.

He wasn't even sure now of when he'd left the stairs. He was just walking...but then his legs gave out and he fell to the floor.

It didn't even register with him.

----

Soubi walked down one of the many hallways in the school. Though he had been down quite a few, he could feel that Ritsuka was close.

That was good, right? At least he was in the school.

He stopped when he saw his sacrifice under a window. His eyes were closed tightly as if in pain and he was breathing quickly.

"Ritsuka...are you okay?" He asked, moving closer.

Ritsuka opened his eyes and looked up. "It hurts." He whispered. The blond stepped closer.

_Not again..._

_He can't be...someone couldn't have..._

He lifted his sacrifice to stand, the child's hands fell limply to his sides. Soubi felt his arms, legs, face, neck...searching. When he found nothing, he took hold of the boy's face and made him face him, eyes frantic.

"What happened? Where are you hurt?" He was so afraid.

His charge's violet eyes were equally as troubled, which only worried him more.

Slowly, the raven-haired boy placed a hand over his heart. He did so gently at first, but then he gripped the area, nails pressing on the fabric and slightly digging into his skin.

The older man grasped his hand and pulled it away. Not caring if anyone saw, he unbuttoned the first few buttons of his sacrifice's shirt.

Ritsuka didn't even flinch, his only movement was the faster-than-normal in and out motion of his chest from breathing.

Soubi searched pale skin, but still found nothing. Semi-relief showed on his face at that fact and he kissed the smaller boy's forehead, lips lingering for a moment, then hugged him.

"I was so worried that someone had gotten to you again." He whispered against the boy's neck.

Whether from fear, hyperventilation, or the sudden overwhelming warmth that flowed through his body, Ritsuka's world went black.

Soubi felt his body slump against him. "Ritsuka?" He moved back, hands on slender shoulders. The worry had never left his eyes.

He lifted the boy into his arms and stood.

--------------------

Ritsuka felt...light, like he was flying. As he came closer to reality though, he could feel warmth around him. He had the distinct sense that he was moving, only his legs weren't on the ground.

Finally, his eyes opened.

He saw flaxen hair and knew right away who it was. Before, finding himself in Soubi's arms he might have panicked, but not now.

_Why is that?..._

He looked up, Soubi's expression was serious as he stared straight ahead. He was walking at a rather fast pace down the sidewalk. To the occasional person glancing at them, it must have been an odd sight.

The boy looked up to see the stairs to the apartment, but hadn't he been in school? Soubi must have carried him all this way.

The blond looked down and gave him a smile, although it was obviously fake. "Are you alright?" He asked as he walked up the stairs, the boy's weight barely slowing him down. "You fainted again." He joked, trying to lighten things up.

"I'm sorry for worrying you so much." Ritsuka said.

Soubi briefly looked down at him. "It is my job to worry about you, to take care of you, to protect you."

They arrived at the door and, still not putting the Ritsuka down, Soubi opened it and stepped inside. Upon entering, he looked around.

_Good, no one else is here..._

Other people would only complicate things. He _had _to talk to Ritsuka, or he would continue to berate himself for not doing so sooner. There was something troubling the boy, which, in turn was troubling him. Things couldn't go on this way. He set the boy down on the couch and sat beside him.

"Soubi I-" Ritsuka started.

"Tell me what's going on." The blond stated, putting his head in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Ritsuka questioned.

Soubi looked up. "Something has been going on with you. Tell me, is it something that I've done? Have I done something wrong, Ritsuka?" He was at a loss.

The boy blinked, confused.

_What? He hasn't done anything..._

"No, that's not it." Ritsuka said slowly, as if searching for the answer. "Just...I'll be fine so leave me alone, okay?" He stated, standing and walking toward the hallway. Soubi got up and grabbed his arm.

"It's _not _okay Ritsuka. I'm tired of seeing you hurting and not being able to do anything, let alone know why. I wish to protect you...always. Even if it costs me my life."

"You care too much about me!" Ritsuka shouted, facing him. "All you do is give and I only take...you don't even care about yourself."

"You're the only one that matters to me Ritsuka." The man stated plainly.

"I shouldn't be!" He yelled, a sob escaping his throat as he pounded his fists ineffectively on Soubi's chest. The man merely looked down sadly at the dark-haired boy. "I don't deserve it...I don't deserve your love...I don't deserve you." He fell to the floor, tears streaming down his pale face. "How did you make me love you so much?!" Ritsuka cried. "It hurts..." He choked out.

"Ritsuka...what did you say?" Soubi questioned, eyes wide as he kneeled before the boy.

Ritsuka gasped and put a hand over his mouth.

_Did I really just say that? I-is that what this has been?..._

_Do I...Soubi..._

Images flashed in his mind, his memory:

Soubi's beautiful face as he slept...

Soubi's hands working on a painting...

Soubi's special smile saved only for him...

Soubi's finesse when fighting another team...

Soubi's loving gaze as he lay down beside him...

Soubi's flaxen hair blown into his face by the wind...

Soubi's bottomless sapphire eyes that seemed to see into his very soul...

Realization hit him and he looked up at his fighter. His tears had stopped for now and he allowed his hand to fall.

"I love you Soubi." Ritsuka admitted, voice barely above a whisper. Suddenly, he leaned forward and pressed their lips together.

Soubi, though a bit surprised that it had been his sacrifice that initiated the action, deepened the kiss. Ritsuka closed his eyes, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness spread throughout his body.

_This is...love..._

They broke apart and Soubi took his face in his hands, looking directly into his eyes. "Say it again, please...I need you to."

"I love you." Ritsuka repeated, his tone more confident. "I'm so sorry, why didn't I notice before?" He said, biting his lower lip. The fighter wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tightly.

"There is no need for apologies, love enables us to forgive, and I love you so much..." Soubi stated, his body shaking.

"Soubi...are you crying?" The violet-eyed boy moved back and looked at the man. He _was_, crystal tears flowed down his face.

The blond reached up a trembling hand. Feeling the wetness there, he gasped.

He hadn't cried in..._years_.

Soubi smiled, took his charge's face in his hands and kissed him passionately. "Thank you." He whispered against pink lips as they parted. "Thank you so much."

They kissed again briefly and Soubi stood, grabbing his sacrifice's hand and helped him up. He brought the boy into another crushing hug. He just couldn't help it, he was so happy. He needed to be close to him, but just standing close wasn't enough.

Of course, even hugging wasn't enough, he craved more; to touch him, taste him...but that would come later, when Ritsuka was ready. This was good enough for now.

"Ritsuka, I love you."

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So, how did you like it? This is not the end, allow me to repeat: THIS IS NOT THE END.

Okay? There is quite a bit more in store for our pretty boys.

P.S.- It's times like these that make me feel like a fan of my own fic. Is that weird?

Please review.


	18. Pervert

Sorry for not updating sooner, lots of shit going on, you know how it is.

Mehr to the people who criticize my grammar. I make mistakes, usually I'm quite careful about those things.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 18**

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What would they people if they knew about this man and little boy?

Would they be freaked out?

Disgusted?

Or just plain sick?

Wasn't it, though? Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? A man with a little boy, no less.

Wasn't that sick? Society decides what is or isn't, so it was supposed to be. Ritsuka had felt like that at first, but now it seemed...normal, he had grown accustomed to the feelings the man displayed to him, even accepted them.

They had slept in the same bed nearly every night for months now and he had grown used to that as well. What would people say if they knew about that?

He loved Soubi, he'd finally realized that, and Soubi loved him. They were...in love.

And he was twelve.

Soubi was at least eight years older than him, and they were in _love_.

_Heh, what would people think about_ that

They had sat together for hours the night before, himself sitting on the fighter's lap, just looking at his pictures and talking. At one point when he had asked Soubi if he was bored, the man merely kissed him and asked if that was a sufficient answer.

He'd blushed quite a bit at that.

He had been surprised at the man's interest at the stories behind the pictures; the memories. For some reason, he had felt like telling Soubi everything he knew, everything he could...Of course he didn't though.

Starting small, that's what he was doing. Because, despite their love, he wasn't sure that he was ready to tell the man everything, and he knew that it was the same for Soubi. He knew so little of his fighter's past, but he was sure that he would learn more and more.

Last night, for instance, Soubi had told him something. When he had asked about how he felt about Seimei, the blond had questioned if he really wanted to know. When he merely nodded, the man told him...

Flashback

"_I had waited my entire life, it seemed, for the day that I would finally meet my sacrifice. I'd spent countless hours of training and waiting. One day, he finally came. I thought there could never have been a more beautiful person in the world, then again, I had no knowing that I would find you." Here, he paused and kissed Ritsuka on the cheek._

"_I thought that Seimei and I would be inseparable, and love each other, as our name suggested. I was sadly mistaken though...I loved him, but he didn't return my feelings."_

_The boy turned away, feeling guilty for having acted the same way for so long._

"_It took me a long time to realize that and when I finally did, he was dead and there was nothing I could do about it. He used me, your brother, and I let him. He was my sacrifice, what could I do? I was trained to obey, I had to, I wanted to. I belonged to him and that was just the way it was meant to be." _

_He looked down and smiled. "But all that has changed now, hasn't it?"_

End flashback

Everything just felt so..._right_, now. It was a good feeling, one that Ritsuka liked very much.

----

Soubi watched the raven-haired boy as he prepared his lunch.

Ritsuka seemed deep in though and when he smiled, the man couldn't help but do the same. He felt as though he hadn't seen that beautiful smile for ages.

Everything seemed different now, but at the same time not.

They still lived together, slept together, ate together...come to think of it, not much would change even if they were to get married. Except for the more intimate things, that is.

The point was, that things were better now between them than they had been for...how long was it? Well, for as long as they'd known each other, which would be a year in only a few months.

His sacrifice entered the kitchen, grabbing a glass of milk off out of the refrigerator. He walked up behind the boy and wrapped his arms around him. "Good morning." He said, pressing his lips to his pale cheek.

Ritsuka blushed. "Soubiii. "He whined. "You're going to make me spill my milk."

The fighter smiled. "Alright, alright. Go and get your bag, or you'll be late." He replied, letting go of his charge.

Ritsuka took a sip of his drink and walked out of the room. When he came back out, the man didn't hesitate to stop him with a smile and take his breath away with a kiss.

Said child turned bright red and backed away...into the wall. The blond chuckled and watched him fumble with the doorknob before finally leaving.

He was too cute.

-------------------

"Ritsuka-kun, please pay attention." Shinonome-sensei stated. The boy looked up at her, his eyes surprisingly joyous. "I'm sorry sensei."

"Th-that's okay, just pay more attention." The woman stated, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

_Well, at least he seems to be feeling much happier than he has of late..._

As his teacher, it was her job to know about her students. Then again, she was particularly interested in Ritsuka.

_B-but it has nothing to do with Agatsuma-san..._

She, regrettably wasn't entirely over the blond. "Sensei?" A student asked.

She turned around. "Yes? Right...now where was I?" "Page 65, paragraph 12 sensei." Another called answered.

"Ah yes." She stated, and continued reading.

Ritsuka, despite his best efforts, couldn't focus. He still couldn't believe that he had actually told Soubi that he loved him.

_I _love_ Soubi..._

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Ritsuka walked out of the school with Yayoi and Yuiko close behind. He didn't take his eyes off of the front gates for a moment, not even when the pink-haired girl attempted to get his attention.

"Aoyagi-kun, please listen to Yuiko-san." The other boy stated.

Ritsuka caught a glimpse of blond hair and smiled. "I'm sorry Yuiko, what were you saying?" He asked, walking toward the gates.

"I was just saying that Ritsuka-kun seems very happy today. It's good to see you smile." The girl said with a slight blush. Ritsuka looked at her with a smile. "Thank you."

When they reached the gate, the young sacrifice was surprised to find that his fighter made no moves toward him or any such thing. The children said their goodbyes and parted ways.

The dark-haired boy looked up at Soubi, his hand tightening in the man's.

When they reached the park, the blond smirked and brought his lips down upon peach ones. Ritsuka's eyes widened and he pushed the man away.

"Soubi! What if someone sees?!"

The taller one chuckled. "No one is here Ritsuka. Besides, I don't care who knows how much I care for you and neither should you." He leaned down."Or were you lying to me when you said that you loved me?" He whispered into the boy's ear, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"N-no...it's just that..." Ritsuka furrowed his brows. "Soubi! Stop fooling around! Do you know the kind of trouble you could get into if someone saw us?" He stated the last part more calmly.

The man arched an eyebrow. "So you're protecting me? I see." He brought their lips together again, this time, Ritsuka melted into his arms.

They broke apart and the violet-eyed boy frowned.

Soubi sensed that it was time to stop joking around and sat down against a nearby tree, motioning for the boy to sit on his lap. To his surprise, he complied.

Ritsuka leaned his head against the fighter's shoulder. "If people found out...they would take me away from you. Then, I would have no one left." He stated quietly.

The blond wrapped his arms tightly around his small form protectively. "You know that I would never let that happen." He whispered, and kissed his pale cheek.

The boy leaned into his embrace and sighed. Feeling the sincerity behind Soubi's words, he smiled. "This feels nice." He said, closing his eyes.

"Mm." Soubi agreed, running his fingers through raven locks.

--------------

"Dear God, Sou-chan...what were you doing earlier? You looked like you were about ready to jump Ritsuka's bones." Kio stated, sitting down beside his friend on the couch.

"Kio." The other said in a tone that was more serious than the small smile on his face.

"There's something going on between you two. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing that you're happier, but what the hell happened?"

"He made me cry."

"What?" The indigo-eyed man looked at him, confused. "Kio, he made me cry." Soubi stated, looking across the room.

"B-but I- you..."

"You've never seen me cry because I haven't since I was young."

"But how? What did he say?" The blond questioned, sure that there was almost nothing that Ritsuka could _do_ to make the other man cry.

"He admitted it."

"What?" Kio asked, he rolled his eyes.

_Jeez, he's being even more vague than usual today..._

"That he loves me." The fighter said, turning to face him.

"Oh Soubi...he's twelve." Kio said, serious for the moment. He hardly ever said his full name.

"You know that I don't care about that." Soubi replied, sitting back.

"People are going to say that you're a pedophile. I mean, I call you a pervert all the time, but other people aren't going to be quite as understanding. They'll throw you in jail if you two do anything."

"It's funny, Ritsuka was worried about the same thing. I don't know why you two are so worried, no one should ever find out. You're not going to tell and Youji and Natsuo have possibly done worse. "

"Worse than sex with little boys?"

"Quiet Kio, you know it's more than that. I love him, besides, we haven't done anything and I don't intend to until..."

"Until?"

"Until he's ready." Soubi stated.

"You're such a pervert." The other man commented.

Ritsuka walked into the room and the men stopped talking.

The dark-haired boy shook his head. He knew what it meant when adults suddenly stopped talking when a kid entered the room, they were discussing either something serious, or something inappropriate.

Knowing Kio, it could be both.

"Ritsuka, come sit with us." Kio said, patting the seat in-between the two men.

Instead of protesting, the boy complied. He felt kind of odd though, walking across the room with Kio watching him like that and then exchanging looks with Soubi.

He sat down. Kio put an arm around his shoulder and gave Soubi a quick smirk. The other man merely put up his indifferent façade.

The other blond arched an eyebrow at this.

_Oh, so you wanna play, Sou-chan?..._

He leaned closer to the cat-eared boy who glanced at him nervously. "So Ritsuka, how do you feel about Sou-chan?"

The sacrifice sputtered before looking up at the flaxen blond beside him. He didn't know what to say. "I-I um..."

"What's the matter Ritsuka-kun? Sou-chan seems pretty confident in your feelings for each other." The blond questioned, leaning his head on the boy's shoulder.

"Kio." Soubi stated firmly. "What Sou-chan, I thought that it was alright for older men to be fawning over little kids. You seem to think so. Now, Ritsuka I would really like to know."

Ritsuka fidgeted, looking down at his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. "I love him!" He stated, though, he said it rather fast so it came out as more like: "Ilvhm!" Nevertheless, Kio heard it and smiled.

"Well then, I'll leave you two to play." He said, releasing the poor boy and leaving the room.

_Don't hurt him anymore, please..._

Ritsuka heaved a sigh of relief. Sometimes...Kio made him nervous.

"I'm sorry about Kio, he's just trying to protect me." Soubi said, placing a hand over his charge's smaller one.

It was an odd notion, to protect big, strong Soubi from being hurt by a frail little boy. But of course, there was more to it than that.

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How did guys like it? Good? Bad? In-between? Review!


	19. Because

A most wonderful thing has happened! I would like to say Happy Holidays by _finally_ updating! And just to be really nice and thank you all for waiting so patiently, I'll try my best to get the next chapter up ASAP.

The end is near, my pretties.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 19**

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"My Ritsuka-kun, you seem much happier than the last time I saw you." The brown-haired woman commented.

Ritsuka averted his gaze, a smile playing on his lips. "That's what everyone's been saying."

The psychologist smiled. "What brought this on? What's changed?"

He bit his bottom lip, thinking of how to answer. "I finally figured out something that's been bothering me and got it off my chest."

The woman nodded, she didn't mind if he was vague. Pressing the matter might make him uncomfortable and she didn't wish to do anything that would mean that he would stop coming to see her.

Besides, she thought that, being in her profession and all, she knew what he was talking about. She didn't exactly approve, but she couldn't help pushing aside those thoughts to ensure that the boy remained happy.

"So, how has school been?"

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"Natsuo, hurry up." The mint-green haired boy called. The two had decided to take a walk in the park.

"What's the rush?" The other replied, quickening his pace to catch up with his partner.

Youji suddenly turned and ran off into the woods. His fighter rolled his eyes and followed.

All around were trees with bright green and red leaves. Natsuo looked around, but saw no sign of the other boy.

_Now where the hell did he go?..._

He spun around, the wind causing the leaves to rustle and his burgundy ears to twitch. He heard a giggle and looked up.

Youji waved at him from his perch on a branch and smiled, swinging his legs. "Come sit with me." He stated, reaching a hand down. Natsuo smirked and grabbed along with the branch and pulled himself up.

The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the leaves on the trees sway as if sparkling in the sunlight. The burgundy-haired boy placed his hand over his sacrifice's.

Youji looked at him then turned his hand over and squeezed the other's.

Minutes passed as they sat there, simply _being_ with each other.

The green-eyed one plucked a red leaf from a small branch next to him. Twirling the stem in between two fingers, he looked at it. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He stated, tilting his head with a thoughtful expression.

The other boy took the leaf from him. He observed it with a similar expression and then tore it in half, allowing the two pieces to fall to the ground. "More like fragile. Why is everything's natural state so weak?"

Dissatisfied, he jumped down, landing on his feet and looked up at his fighter. "You coming?" He asked with a smile. The other boy jumped into his arms. Youji caught him, he could be surprisingly strong.

Touching his feet to the ground, Natsuo smiled and turned.

"Let's go." He said against the straight-haired boy's lips and started walking away.

"Natsuo, that's just cruel." The other whined, following after him.

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Soubi looked up at the building. Ritsuka had decided to tell him that morning that he would back late as usual. This time though, he had told the man that he was seeing a psychologist.

So that was the big secret. He had told the man to meet him outside of this building and they would walk home together.

He was glad that they were telling each other things now. It seemed that Ritsuka's profession of love was the key to unleashing a deeper trust between the two.

_Trust._

_He trusts me now..._

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes in contentment.

The door opened and he could feel his sacrifice's presence. He opened his eyes. "Ritsuka." He said as the boy walked out.

Ritsuka turned to him and smiled. The man offered his hand, which was joined by a smaller one and they walked.

--

The brown-haired woman watched from a window above and smiled affectionately.

She had been right.

_Good luck Ritsuka-kun..._

--

"So how was your session?" The blond asked.

"Fine, it's always nice to talk to Shouko-sensei, she really listens."

Soubi mock-pouted. "And I wouldn't?"

"You know it's not like that, it's just...I'm not ready to talk to you about everything. I don't know if I ever will be." Ritsuka said looking up at him.

"That's alright, you don't need to." The older one stated, squeezing the boy's hand. "So, is she any good? Should I hire someone else for you? Or perhaps we could go to joint sessions." Soubi questioned with a smirk.

Ritsuka smiled. "She's very good, her credentials are outstanding...A joint session does sound like a good idea though."

The blond arched an eyebrow. It had merely been a suggestion, but if Ritsuka wanted to, he would do it. "If that is what you wish."

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Ritsuka sighed, he seemed to find himself in this position quite often nowadays. He leaned against his fighter and the man tightened his arm around his shoulder. He looked up at the small scar on the blond's ear where his butterfly earring had been.

After the fight with Zero, it had healed and he guessed that Soubi didn't want to re-pierce it himself. That meant that there was some meaning behind him doing it for the man.

"Soubi?" The dark-haired boy questioned.

"Yes?"

"Why did you have me pierce your ears?" He asked, looking into the fighter's sapphire orbs.

The man thought for a moment on how to word it. "So that we could be better connected. Pain is one of the main factors that connects a fighter to their sacrifice. I wanted to be closer to you."

"Could you pierce mine?"

Soubi smiled. "Never."

The dark-haired moved away from him. "Why not? I want us to be closer too." He stated, his face a mixture of anger and hurt.

"Haven't you realized that we've become much closer already? Besides, I could never mar your perfect skin with a hole." He stated, placing a light kiss on his sacrifice's human ear. "Especially if it were to cause you unnecessary pain."

He could just imagine Ritsuka with his ears lined with piercings like Kio. He chuckled at the thought.

Ritsuka burrowing into the man's shirt. "What?" The violet-eyed boy asked.

"It's nothing." He replied, using a line that the boy himself had nearly patented.

----------

Dark ears twitched as wakefulness swept over Ritsuka.

He looked at the clock beside him; it was early. He used to only wake up this early when something was bothering him, but right now...there was nothing. Everything was right.

He looked forward to more mornings like this. Times when he could just lay beside Soubi and watch the sun rise. Although, it would be nicer if the man could see it with him.

But...he would have to wake him up for that and Ritsuka wasn't sure if he could. The man looked so beautiful, and for the first time, he could fully appreciate such a moment. Admitting his feelings had opened him up to many new possibilities. Not only for him, but for he and Soubi as well.

The man's hair looked almost a ghostly silver in the moonlight that still shone outside, and a small smile graced his pale rose-colored lips.

He couldn't resist.

Getting up as stealthily as possible, he walked over to his dresser and picked up his camera. Tip-toeing, he went back to the bed and looked at the sleeping man with a smile. He pressed down on the button and a flash filled the room briefly.

Soubi blinked his eyes open and shot up. He seemed worried, but calmed down when he saw his sacrifice's apologetic expression.

"I forgot to turn the flash off." The boy stated, an apologetic expression on his face as he lowered the camera. "Sorry for waking you."

"Come here." Soubi said, moving the blankets over.

Ritsuka put the device back on the dresser and sat down beside the blond. Soubi put an arm around his sacrifice's smaller form and pulled him into an embrace.

The violet-eyed boy leaned into his fighter's warmth. "Soubi...what am I to you?" He asked.

Soubi looked down, wondering where the question had come from."What do you mean?"

Ritsuka opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it. He tried again.

"What am I...like, relationship-wise?"

Soubi smiled. "You are my sacrifice."

The dark-eared boy looked down, that was what he'd expected, though what he didn't expect, was for the man to continue.

"...You are my friend, my boyfriend, my love...my everything."

The boy was still gazing at the sheets held in his fist.

"Is that the answer you were looking for Ritsuka?" Soubi questioned, watching the boy's smaller hand tremble.

Ritsuka looked up, tears in his eyes and hugged the man.

"Look, the sun is rising." The fighter commented, his breath warm against his neck. Ritsuka looked up and found that, indeed it was.

He was able to see it with Soubi after all.

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Just to clarify, this is _not_ the end, but it is terribly, terribly close.

Hope you liked it, please review.

P.S.- Please don't complain, I nearly killed one of my sisters trying to get her off of the computer to upload this in time for Christmas.


	20. Caring

Yay! Thank you everyone! Your reviews always make me so happy. I tried to finish this chapter as fast as I could. It's all for you guys, my lovely fans...and for me (because I want to see the end too.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless

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**Chapter 20**

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Soubi kneeled in front of a canvas, his blond hair tied back and glasses on the floor beside him. His raven-haired sacrifice sat on a stool behind him, watching.

The man dipped his brush into a deep red, but when he lifted it to touch to the canvas, a drop fell on the floor.

Instead of cleaning it up right away, he stared at it.

It looked so much like blood.

_Ritsuka..._

He could understand why the boy would wish to harm himself. They hadn't even mentioned about that particular issue for a while, then again, they had never truly addressed the issue. What was stopping him?

He turned to the child behind him. The violet-eyed boy swung his legs a bit. It was times like these that he really looked like a child.

_So cute..._

But he couldn't let Ritsuka's protests and adorable childish qualities stop him from acting upon his duties as his guardian.

"Ritsuka, I understand how you feel." He stated, breaking the silence that hung in the room.

His sacrifice turned to him with a look of confusion. The blond had a terrible habit of bringing things up randomly. He could be talking about a plethora of subjects.

"What do you mean?" Ristuka asked.

Soubi went back to his work. "About suicide." He stated simply.

"No you don't." Came the sad reply.

The fighter thought for a moment. "I have and idea."

His interest piqued, the dark-haired boy turned.

"Let's play a sort of game. A game of truth, without the dares. I will tell you something about me if you tell me something about you."

The thought made Ritsuka nervous, but he definitely wanted to know more about Soubi. "Alright." He agreed.

"You go first." The man said.

With a slow nod, the sacrifice pondered for a few minutes while Soubi continued to paint.

"I take pictures so that I don't forget things. I'm afraid of forgetting people and moments, you know that. I wasn't sure, at first, why I took so many pictures of you. I thought it was because you knew Seimei and I wanted to have memories that he'd had, so that I could remember him better. It was more because I could feel that you were important, something that I would always search for if I ever forgot. I didn't want to lose you." He glanced at the man's broad back.

"When you fought on your own, or lied to me, deep inside it tore at me because you'd _promised_. You made promises and never kept them. I was afraid that you would disappear and I would be alone without a link to Seimei and that scared me. Of course, that was what I believed then, but I know that it was also concern for _you_. You were a part of me and I didn't want to have that taken away."

Hearing him finish, Soubi set his paintbrush down and faced the boy. "Thank you. For trusting me with that." He said with a brief smile. He licked his lips and looked down at his hands.

_This is going to be tough..._

"There is one person in the world who has ever given me cause to fear for my own safety. You met him; Ritsu. I told you before that he taught me, but it was so much more than that. It was something far worse." Here, he paused and glanced up at Ritsuka, who was watching him intently.

He knew that this was right. Telling Ritsuka about himself was the only way that he could get the boy to open up more.

"He once caught me attempting to commit suicide with a letter opener that I'd taken from his office. It had been a particularly rough training session early on and I felt that I couldn't take it anymore. He tied me to a chair and cut down my upper arms with it and forced me to watch my blood run down my skin." He stared off into space as he recalled that day and continued.

Flashback

_The silver-haired man ran a finger along young Soubi's jaw line. He slowly walked around the chair, not looking at him._

"_Soubi-kun how selfish of you. What would your sacrifice do if you were to die? He could wander the earth in search of you, a fighter he'd never known, for years. Tell me, what is a fighter's duty?" _

"_To protect and obey the sacrifice." The blond responded mechanically with a slight gasp of _

_pain. He shivered slightly, being deprived of his shirt. Snow fell outside, he knew, though there was no window in his room._

_Ritsu's smile was acidic. "Very good. Now, how are you going to be able to protect your sacrifice when you are so weak?" _

End Flashback

"He left me like that then: cold, bleeding, and bound to a chair for hours. I didn't realize it then, but he saved my life that day. I don't mean life as in, "the state of being alive", but in the sense that I would never have met you."

Ritsuka blushed and a smile threatened to grace his features, but he turned around. The blond stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I was not lying when I said that I understood how you felt in regards to suicide. I have been to that dark place, but you must realize that there is always at least a spec of hope, you just need to look for it." He withdrew his hand and went back to his painting.

Another butterfly.

He hadn't even realized it, but there was blood dripping from its blue wings.

_How odd..._

Ritsuka seemed to have that effect on him. He was often creating paintings that were different than the ones he had grown used to. Not surprisingly, his grades were improving because of them.

_--_

Ritsuka smiled. He was so happy now, he didn't think that he could ever think about hurting himself again.

Soubi had that affect on him.

He knew that the man would always protect him, always do all that he could to make him happy.

_Soubi, you mean so much to me.._

It was true, the man was, without a doubt, the best thing that had ever happened to him. He smiled and walked over to the man. Sitting down, he pressed his back to the blond's.

Soubi smirked as he found an eared head on his shoulder.

"Soubi, I really do love you." Ritsuka stated, closing his eyes. The more he said those words, the easier it became.

The man planted a kiss in-between velvet black ears. "I know." He replied, resuming his work at perfecting the painting brought about due to his sacrifice.

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Kio walked into the apartment, bright afternoon sunlight at his back as he closed the door. The blond hung his jacket over the back of a chair and sat down. Leaning back, he sighed.

_I wonder where those two lovebirds went..._

He had to admit, things were much better now. His jealousy for Ritsuka had faded considerably over the past few months. Just seeing Soubi smile so often was enough for him and if Ritsuka was the one that did that, then he was okay.

Kio loved Soubi, though he wasn't sure how much in comparison to the younger boy. Nevertheless, he was aware that they both wanted what was best for the man. Ritsuka and Soubi were in love and the thought made him very happy.

Ristuka was cute, sweet, innocent, kind...he had nothing but good qualities. In fact, in a way, Kio had grown to love him as well. The realization brought a smile to his face.

_Hmm, I guess I do..._

He stood and went to the refrigerator, taking out a beer. The man took a sip and sighed.

"Hmm, it's pretty quiet." He commented aloud, placing the can on the counter.

The Zero boys were always off somewhere and seeing as how it was a lovely day, they were probably out terrorizing some little kids. As for his best friend and his boyfriend though, he really didn't know.

He walked into the living room and spotted a nearly dry painting of a bleeding butterfly. It was beautiful...and dark.

"That's creepy, Sou-chan is so weird."

"Am I?" Came a deep voice from behind him.

He turned to Soubi with a smile. "Hey there, Sou-chan. I was wondering where you were. Hopefully not off molesting poor little Ritsuka."

The other man rested against the wall. "Now, now Kio, you know very well that I wasn't doing anything of the sort."

"Where were you then?" Kio replied, folding his arms.

Soubi stood up straight and turned his back to his friend and walked down the hall.

----

Kio was so odd sometimes. Soubi liked to watch him without his knowledge. Often he surprised the man, but he didn't do it on purpose.

His friend tended to move around a lot when he was thinking. He talked to himself, which was a weird habit.

Ritsuka was similar, there had been many instances in which Soubi stood in the room watching him for up to ten minutes before he noticed him and jumped in surprise. Soubi didn't mind, it gave him time to observe the boy.

He opened his bedroom door and his sacrifice looked up from a book. He was laying on the bed, his head hanging over the side. It was positively adorable.

---

Ritsuka smiled as the flaxen blond entered.

The book he had found on Soubi's dresser intrigued him. It was on Japanese fine art and had many beautiful illustrations in it. He put it down, he would finish reading it later.

"Soubi, who was it?" He inquired as the fighter sat down beside him.

"Kio, as I thought."

Ritsuka smiled, somehow Soubi could sense such things. He wasn't sure whether it was because of his training as a fighter or not though, it wasn't as if Kio was part of a fighter team.

He thought for a moment. Would Kio be a fighter or sacrifice?

_Hmm...probably a sacrifice. He would love to order someone around and have them do whatever he wanted..._

He could never imagine Kio letting something bad happen to someone else on his own account, though. So...he would be a sacrifice much like himself, except he would order his fighter around.

Ritsuka couldn't see himself ordering Soubi around like he was "supposed to," it just wouldn't be right. He would far rather have the man disobey some kind of important order, that would show that he was free.

He looked up at the man. "Soubi."

"Hmm?" Soubi replied, startled a bit at the sudden break in silence. He had been watching his sacrifice sitting there, deep in thought.

"I don't want to order you around anymore."

"What do you mean? You don't even give me orders as it is." He wrapped his arms around the dark haired boy.

"You know what I mean. I don't want to even be able to do it anymore. Like..."

"...not being my sacrifice any longer?" Soubi asked, his eyes falling.

Ritsuka held the man's strong arms tighter around him. "No...I mean...I don't know." He whispered. He had never thought of such a thing before, but now that he was...Perhaps it was a good idea. Words formed in his mind. "I want us to be free, I want _you _to be free. This whole fighter-sacrifice thing is just a way of trapping people, taking away their lives."

"But I would never have found you otherwise." The man responded. "We would never have been together. This...is not a curse, many people have had their lives formed around being a fighter or sacrifice."

He himself had never known anything else. It shouldn't have, but it hurt when Ritsuka told him that it was a terrible thing.

The raven haired boy shook his head. "I...I'm sorry Soubi, that was a silly thing for me to say. I was just thinking about it so suddenly that I got confused. I didn't mean it that way, I just-"

"Just want to help. I know that and thank you, but I like everything just the way it is. And about what you said earlier, you don't give me orders, so it doesn't matter that you are capable of it. Just think, you can make me do whatever you want." He stated with a slight smirk.

"Soubi, you're such a pervert."

"You're starting to sound like Kio." Soubi chuckled and the boy pulled him backward, causing them to fall onto the bed.

----

Outside their room, Kio heard the bed squeak and some giggles. He ran a hand through his bright locks. "Have fun, Sou-chan."

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See, just like I promised, ASAP. I hope you liked it.

P.S.- Don't expect the next chapter to be quite as quick, I have to perfect it.


	21. Decision

**Heeey. . . **How's it going? Long time, no write (with fan fiction at least). I didn't get the final chapter up because I had school and some other things going on in the first place, but then something else got in the way. It's been quite different for over two years, and I can understand one of Ritsuka's problems very well, because I have amnesia too.

I had to type the whole chapter after everything because my old computer "kicked the bucket", so it's not as it would've been. Hopefully I'll be able to whip up a good quality, suitable finish for you good, devoted people. If not, blame the man behind the curtain.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Loveless, and that's for the best.

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**Final chapter!**

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**Chapter 21**

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Both fighter and sacrifice spent the entire day thinking about the other, and their relationship.

_Could we live that way?… _Ritsuka thought for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

_Could __**I **__really live that way?… _Soubi contemplated for what he laughingly calculated to be the thousandth time that day.

Neither of the team could concentrate in school. Soubi missed most of what his professor said about an addition to the color theory. Ritsuka ignored the math equations written on the chalk board.

The final bell told Ritsuka the end of another school day had come. His professor raising his voice, reminding of a project due in 3 days signaled for Soubi this class was over. As if in a trance, boy and man departed their classrooms.

The sun was shining bright, the afternoon becoming later. As much as they wanted to, neither returned home.

Kio thought to worry about the emptiness in the house, but he knew to expect this type of thing from the odd pair that was a large part of his life. In school, the other man had been distracted, and he knew it was because his thoughts were on Ritsuka; that sort of thing had not worried him as much as in the past, since the shy boy's confession.

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Walking

.

Walking

.

Walking, both were just walking.

.

_He said he knows I want to help, but that he wants to remain Fighter and Sacrifice. Does he __**really**__ though?…_

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Soubi slowed his pace while walking to who-knew-where.

_It hurts to think of him being hurt… _The two thought, looking up at the dimming sky, asking for an answer from somewhere in the cosmos.

Hands in their pockets, each tightened their grip on their cell phone.

---

_What can we do?_

.

_What should we do?._

.

_What __**will**__ we do?…_

All were good questions that came to mind, and each without an answer, except for "can".

Soubi felt lost, but at the same time, as though he finally **found** all he had ever been without. That was thanks to the rules of fighter-sacrifice pairing, and what he believed was fate. Meeting Ritsuka, and falling in love with him was the absolute best thing that'd ever happened to him.

He imagined the light scent he so adored, that of his other half, and pictured that angelic face. He knew a decision had to be made.

Running a hand through his long, shining locks, he knew.

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As much as both wanted to, neither returned home.

Up the road.

Down the road.

In the middle, the blond man and dark haired boy met unexpectedly.

"Soubi-" He began

"I need to ask you something Ritsuka." The other said suddenly.

"Alright. anything you want". He noted that Soubi had a revealing expression, questions shone in his eyes. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Come here", the blond said, holding out a hand. The younger one accepted it, and gave a squeeze of encouragement.

_This is different…_

Blue eyes peered directly into violet ones, and no where else. Deeply inhaling to ready himself was not something Soubi was accustomed to, so it was rather surprising when he found himself doing so.

"Do you think I could…" He paused.

_This is going to be hard…_

"Could you truly not have me as your fighter?"

"I could." The truth flowed from the boy's mouth, no doubts were in him.

"Thinking about it all day, I realized it really comes down to **your** decision though. Whether or not you think you can take hold of your life yourself, and live according only to your own choices. I can't and **won't** order you to do anything. I don't want to have that ability. I know I can't imagine how this, any of it, feels for you, and that's why I'm asking you choose."

His eyes glistened. "I love you, **you** as a human being, and nothing more. I may not like it, but even if you choose to stay this way, I'll have to live with it."

_As much as it would continue to hurt…_

At that, his gaze lowered. A second later though, the artist's hand lifted his chin. Their eyes met again and it seemed the questions had vanished from Soubi's eyes.

"I want… to become nothing more than a human being that loves you, the only Ritsuka." He stated, voice not far above a whisper.

"Do you mean…?"

Louder, Soubi said, "No more spell battles, no more wounds, no more anger and sadness, none of it. I'm through with all of that, starting right now." It was peculiar to hear such words coming from his own mouth, but he welcomed it, because it felt so right.

A broad smile coming to his face, "Lets remember this moment", Ritsuka said, taking a camera from his pocket.

Lips met in a kiss that could only be described as one of pure, true love, and the flash went off.

"I love you", Ritsuka said, hugging the man, eyes becoming moist. "And I love you", Soubi replied, returning the embrace.

"Lets go home" The younger of the two said, gazing at the smile he loved most, on the face of the one he loved the most, one of his own reflecting the splendid future they both believed would be.

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THE END

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So readers, that most likely disappointed many of you, but it was the best I could do, not having seen the show for quite a while, and not remembering most of my time of existence, heh, heh… that's not at all humorous. I've been getting on with my life, but just couldn't stand seeing any more hopeful, supportive reviews, especially the ones in which I was asked continue or at least finish.

I welcome reviews of any sort.

Enjoy your day, and your lives everyone. Our time here is far too short to take for granted.

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**Happily retiring from fan fiction,**

**Sycocat**


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